VERDAD

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a prime example of leadership in support for civil rights of African Americans. During the Civil Rights Movement in America, Al Sharpton worked closely with Martin Luther King’s organization Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Sharpton was involved in many of the protests and activism of this time. From there, Al Sharpton began his own organization, the National Youth Movement. The National Youth Movement was an organization established in 1971 that fought against drugs and raised money for impoverished children in inner cities. Today, Al Sharpton leads the National Action Network, a non-profit civil rights organization. This organization works in the "spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." ("National Action Network" para. 1). Many draw parallels between the actions of Martin Luther King and the actions of Al Sharpton. For instance, there are many similarities between Birmingham and Ferguson. Bernie Hayes, a writer for the St. Louis American, argues in the Birmingham and Ferguson article that King’s march on Washington is similar to the protesting of police brutality and racial profiling organized by Reverend Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, Reverend Walter Fauntroy and Dick Gregory (para. 3). The protests call for help of people who are of all backgrounds and colors (Hayes para. 3). It is evident that a lot of Reverend Al Sharpton’s tactics are similar to the tactics that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. employed when he lead the fight against injustice and inequality in the country.