Al Sharpton

For the song, see Real Talk (Man Overboard album).

The Reverend
Al Sharpton
Sharpton in 2023
Born
Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr.

(1954-10-03) October 3, 1954 (age 70)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Baptist minister
Civil rights/social justice activist
Radio and television talk show host
Years active1969–present
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Marsha Tinsley (less than a year)[1]
Kathy Jordan
​
​
(m. 1980; sep. 2004)​
Children2

Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr.[2] (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights and social justice activist, Baptist minister, radio talk show host, and TV personality, who is also the founder of the National Action Network civil rights organization.[3][4][5] In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election.[6] He hosts a weekday radio talk show, Keepin' It Real, which is nationally syndicated by Urban One, and he is a political analyst and weekend host for MSNBC, hosting PoliticsNation.[7][8][9]

Sharpton is known for making various controversial and incendiary comments over his career. He has been accused of making antisemitic and racially insensitive remarks as well as inciting incidents of violence.[10][11] In 1987 he was highly active in publicizing the Tawana Brawley rape allegations in the media; the allegation was later proved to be false.[12]

  1. ^ Ellen Warren (November 20, 2003). "Al Sharpton: Reinventing himself". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 22, 2014. At 20, Sharpton married recording artist Marsha Tinsley but it lasted less than a year.
  2. ^ "Al Sharpton Fast Facts". CNN. March 3, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2014. Birth name: Alfred Charles Sharpton, Jr.
  3. ^ "National Action Network – About Us". Archived from the original on May 29, 2009.
  4. ^ "Bio: Rev. Al Sharpton". Fox News. August 27, 2003. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
  5. ^ Mirkinson, Jack (August 23, 2011). "It's Official: Sharpton Gets MSNBC Hosting Gig". HuffPost.
  6. ^ "Rev. Al Sharpton, The "Refined Agitator"". 60 Minutes. May 22, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  7. ^ Stelter, Brian (August 23, 2011). "Al Sharpton Formally Named MSNBC Host". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  8. ^ Grove, Lloyd (August 28, 2015). "Why Al Sharpton Is Happy With His MSNBC Demotion". The Daily Beast.
  9. ^ Rogo, Paula (October 23, 2020). "Al Sharpton's MSNBC 'PoliticsNation' Given New Timeslot". Essence. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "Al Sharpton admits to using 'cheap' rhetoric about Jews". The Times of Israel. May 20, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Dade, Corey (January 19, 2013). "The Rev. Al Sharpton, In Six True-False Statements". NPR. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn-1998-01-14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).