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Rev. Al Sharpton Inaccurately Portrayed by New York Daily News

By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Nov 29th 2010 10:38AM
Filed under: Dr. Boyce Money, News

Comments (44)

Al Sharpton
It's not easy fighting for civil rights and running organizations that stand up for the freedoms of the oppressed. If you're good at what you do, your enemies will try anything to take you down. On top of that, many of the people you are fighting for, via self-hatred, may be skeptical of your efforts and willing to partner with oppressive forces to undermine your work. Even worse, your constituents may not have the means to help you face the massive financial responsibility that comes with serving your community. Freedom damn sure ain't free, and most leaders have the receipts to prove it.

I don't get as many calls for help as Rev. Al Sharpton, but I get my fair share. The most difficult thing about receiving these requests is that you want to help everyone, but are constantly struggling to find the resources to get the job done. If you ask for help to pay the cost of the trip, people think you're somehow trying to swindle them or earn an unnecessary profit from the work you do. The truth is that everybody's got bills to pay and the bigger your name, the more people think you're made of money.

I thought about this when I read about the peculiar attack on Rev. Al Sharpton in the New York Daily News. Among many misleading statements made by the paper, they mentioned the fact that Sharpton paid himself $250,000 last year while his organization, The National Action Network, was still in debt.


First, when a man must purchase several plane tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars every week in order to do work around the country, $250,000 is not nearly enough to handle all necessary financial obligations. To do his work in the community, Rev. Sharpton keeps a travel schedule that would put a high-ranking Obama Administration official to shame. The difference is that he doesn't have the financial backing of the U.S. government to pay for it.

Secondly, the New York Daily News failed to mention the fact that Sharpton turned around and loaned $200,000 of the $250,000 right back to the organization. The omission of such an important fact is either indicative of a secondary agenda or faulty journalism on the part of the Daily News, I'm not sure which one. They also failed to mention that while Sharpton does scores of speaking engagements every year, he has donated nearly all of his speaking fees right back to the organization. I'm not sure how much Sharpton earns per year in his speeches, but I do know that the amount is substantial.

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Finally, we must ask ourselves why it is somehow criminal for Rev. Sharpton to receive compensation for his outstanding work. All of us are paid to do our jobs, because we need the money. We have to pay our mortgages, car notes, tuition for our children, etc. For some reason, we believe that those in positions of prominence don't have bills like the rest of us. So, the next time you call Rev. Sharpton or anyone else to help with an issue in your community, I encourage you to take a collection from all concerned citizens that will help him to cover the costs of the trip, as well as pay a few of the daunting bills he probably has waiting at home.

I could care less how much money Al Sharpton makes for doing the job he does, because we never show the same concern for the amounts that non-black leaders are earning for their work. We've somehow concluded that if a black leader is compensated, he must be a bad person or trying to rob us. I can say from watching Sharpton up close that what he gives of his personal life to position himself as a constant target by his enemies far exceeds any amount of money he may be earning from being the head of NAN. Also, there is no black leader in America who isn't made to look like a crook or buffoon by mainstream media. I bet you can't think of a single unapologetic black leader who hasn't had his public image undermined by a news organization. Even Dr. King was pulled through the ringer shortly before his death.

Generally speaking, the attack on Rev. Sharpton by the New York Daily News is a reminder that our black organizations need to be supported by all of us. If we expect the NAACP or National Action Network to show up when we have political, social or personal problems, we must also show up when they have financial problems. These groups cannot do their jobs without our help, and men like Al Sharpton are not made of money. It's a grind out there for everyone, and the struggle can be greatest at the top.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

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