Al Sharpton Is GI Joe

I don't think Al Sharpton gets a fair trial in the court of public opinion. I'll be the first to admit that my knee-jerk reaction whenever I saw him on television was to change the channel. I didn't know anything about the man and had never actually listened to him talk, at least not for more than thirty seconds. He just always seemed to be on TV talking about this or that is racist and I thought he was a glory hog. Now…Al Sharpton is GI Joe to me.

"Al Sharp-tonnnn! An Afro-American hero. Al Sharpton is there, fighting for freedom wherever there's struggle over land and sea and air. Al Sharp-ton is there!"

Seriously though, the first time I actually listened to what he had to say was at Michael Jackson's funeral. He said something along the lines of, "Your daddy wasn't crazy. It was crazy what your daddy had to put up with." He said it so matter-of-factly and had the same "no bullshit" look that an uncle or grandparent who's been around the block has when they speak. He was telling the truth and I took notice.

Then I saw him on HBO's The Black List. He admitted that he knew he didn't have a chance in hell of winning the presidential election, "Even if every other candidate died, I knew they'd find a way to make someone else president." He said he ran just to include us in the debate. By being a candidate they had to respond to the issues he raised. I can't fault him for that.

After that, Reverend Al was A-okay in my book. So yesterday when he spoke after the charges against George Zimmerman were announced, I turned up the television to hear what he had to say. He didn't disappoint. "I don't want anybody high-fiving today. These people lost their son. He's not coming back. This isn't a time for gloating or celebrating. We didn't win anything today." He also reminded people that the original statement from the Sanford chief of police was that no charges would be filed.

So I repeat my original statement, Al Sharpton is GI Joe. He goes wherever he thinks he's needed and he brings the fight to injustice. Say what you will about him, but you have to admit that his celebrity brings at least one camera or one news network to wherever it is he chooses to go. This time around it was Trayvon Martin. I think Martin's family was right to thank Rev Al for coming in and turning it from a local issue to a national one. A few years ago it was Jena Six.

I'm not saying he's a saint. If it comes out in the future that he killed the Easter Bunny or something, don't come back pointing the finger at me. I'm just saying that for all the negative things I hear that attempt to belittle him as just a spectacle, I think there should be more positive things said about him. From what I can see, he's given more than he's taken from the world and it never seems to be done in a selfish or self-serving way. If he were to die today, I can't say there's anybody waiting in the wings to step up and take his place. That worries me.