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Rev. Al Sharpton tore into President Donald Trumps secretary of the Department of Education last night over her claims that historically black colleges and universities were real pioneers when it comes to school choicea statement that seemed to equate the institutions rootsas refuges from discrimination with her own mission of promoting charterschools and vouchers for private education.

Speaking at the New School for Social Research on 14th Street, Sharpton taunted DeVos over the comment, which she made Monday night shortly meeting with the heads of a number of HBCUs in Washington. The controversial civil rights leadermade glancing referenceto the billionaire heiresss lack of background in public education, and asserted her comment was an insult tothe legacy of leaderswho fought to grant African-Americans access to higher learning.

Now, I dont know where she studied. I suspect it was not at the New School, he said, to chuckles from the audience. Historic black colleges were founded because blacks had no choice. And to pervert a reaction to segregation and try and distort it into some endorsement of right-wing educational policy is to pour salt in the wound of those of us that know the history of whats going on.

DeVos, a longtime donor and advocate for charter schools and public subsidies for private schools, made the remarks amid an apparent campaign of outreach to HBCUs on the part of the Republican administration.

They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality, she said in a public statement. Their success has shown that more options help students flourish.

She appeared to back away from the comments following intense backlash on social media and criticism from leaders of Congress. Trump himself met with HBCU leaders at the White House yesterday to recognize their work, and to sign an executive order reassigning the responsibilityof overseeing and promoting the schools from the Department of Education to the White House itself.

Yet even that move provoked outrage from certain corners, as a photo of the president standing alongsidethe college leaders showed advisor Kellyanne Conway casually sitting on a sofa with her shoes off. This, too, provided fodder for Sharpton in his address last night.

Those that formed the historic black colleges, you must remember were one generation away from it being against the law for blacks to be able even to read and write. And whites would be prosecuted or worse if they were caught teaching blacks how to read and write, he said. But today she says they pioneered school choice, and had black presidents of historic black colleges standing around the Oval Office, saluting Donald Trump, while Kellyanne was on the couch all cuddled up, tweeting and carrying on.

DeVoss confirmation was among the closest in history, with the Senate splitting 50-50 and Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding vote.

After his speech, Sharpton sat down for a discussion with New School Professor Maya Wileyformer counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasioin which he called for an intersectional movement of all minorities against the Trump administration.

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Al Sharpton Mocks Betsy DeVos's Claim That Black Colleges Pioneered 'School Choice' - Observer

Posted 02-27-2017 by Sherrel Stewart.

Sherrel Wheeler Stewart,WBHM 90.3

Wenonah High School culinary arts students serve up food at Unity Breakfast

Wenonah High School has been touched by violence with the recent shooting deaths of two students. But Friday, civil rights leader Rev. AL Sharpton joined with Birmingham community and education leaders to celebrate the good work of students and teachers at the schools annual Unity Breakfast.

Wenonahs culinary arts students prepared and served breakfast to hundreds of people gathered in the schools gym. Other students ushered and gave speeches a contrast to the recent violence involving students.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a face familiar to many in the crowd, applauded the students and their principal for instilling in them a sense of value. He offered advice to school supporters working with young people.

If you stand up for them and stand up to them, we can deal with this violence, he said.

Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, a New York-based civil rights organization, also challenged students to excel in spite of difficult circumstances.

You are not responsible for how you was born or who your parents were, he said, but you are responsible for what you do with the rest of your life.

Sharpton urged adults to encourage the youth by telling them they can be whatever they want to be.

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Al Sharpton Challenges Adults To Support Wenonah Students - WBHM (press release) (blog)

Reverend Al Sharpton, an internationally-known civil rights leader, will speak at The New School on Tuesday as part of an ongoing lecture series addressing issues of inclusion in the United States during Donald Trumps presidency.

Sharpton, who will speak during a free lecture, will discuss civil rights, social justice and criminal justice reform in both New York City, and nationally. The talk will be held in the Tishman Auditorium in University Center on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required to attend, but the cost of attendance is free.

Reverend Sharpton has had a notable career in civil rights. He was the youth director of Operation Breadbasket in New York, a program focused on improving African Americans economic status, and founded the National Action Network, a civil rights organization.

He is also the host of the popular radio show, Keepin it Real With Reverend Al Sharpton, and was an informal advisor to President Obama during his time in office.

Tuesdays talk is part of the Henry Cohen Lecture series, and will also be hosted by the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, and Maya Wiley, the senior vice president for social justice at the New School.

Named after the founding dean of the Milano School, The New Schools Henry Cohen Lecture Series has been devoted to advancing social equity in America. According to the New School, this years Henry Cohen Lecture Series will be focused on how we can advance political, social and economic inclusion in the context of a Trump Presidency.

Photo by Julia Himmel.

Excerpt from:
Reverend Al Sharpton To Speak At The New School - The New School Free Press

The State (blog)

Al Sharpton jokes Gov. McMaster might 'choke' him The State (blog) Al Sharpton poked fun at new Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday while eulogizing state Rep. Joe Neal on Monday. The New York civil rights activist and CNN commentator told the crowd of more than 2,000 he had just come from a State House social justice ... Reverend Al Sharpton Addresses Marchers at the State HouseAbccolumbia.com Protesters exhort Trump, McMaster: 'You represent us, too'ColaDaily.com Funeral services held for long-time State Representative Joe NealWACH.com all 4 news articles »

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Al Sharpton jokes Gov. McMaster might 'choke' him - The State (blog)

Al Sharpton attends a special screening of "Fences", at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, in New York.(Photo: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

As part of Black History Month, activist Al Sharpton spoke in Memphis Sunday, delivering a talk that was equal parts sermon, civil-rights history and screed against Donald Trump.

Sharpton spoke for about 45 minutes late Sunday morning to a packed sanctuary atMississippi Boulevard Christian Church, following a sermon at the church's Southeast Memphis campus earlier that morning. The church's senior pastor, Lawrence Turner, is on the board of directors of Sharpton's National Action Network.

It didn't take Sharpton long to attack"Hurricane Trump," as he labeled him early on.

"A lot of you who thought everything was cool, Hurricane Trump has come," Sharpton said. "The fact of the matter is, we've seen people like Trump before.We've seen this before."

Sharpton told the crowd that Trump reached out to him after the election, but Sharptonsaid he refused a meeting: "I'm not interested in a red carpet photo op for him."

A lot of you who thought everything was cool, Hurricane Trump has come. The fact of the matter is, we've seen people like Trump before. We've seen this before.

Sharptoncompared Trump to former President Richard Nixon, who was elected in 1968 but resigned in 1974 after the Watergate scandal erupted.

"It was a dark day, but we got through Richard Nixon," he said beforecomparingTrump toNixon's successors as Republican presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. "We got through all of that."

Sharpton also spent part of his talk discussing Memphis's legacy in the civil-rights movement, particularly the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the former Lorraine Motel Downtown.

"When I think of Memphis, I don't think of Graceland.I think of the (National) Civil Rights Museum and the Lorraine Motel," Sharpton said, recounting a conversation he said he had with a man on the plane to Memphis Saturday.

Sharpton said that he was a teenagerwhen King was killed, and he didn't quite understand why his mother was so upset.

"You're weeping like it was a member of our family," Sharpton said he told his mother. "She said, You'd have to have been born and raised in the South. Made to sit in the back of the bus but paid the same fare to understand who Dr. King was. You'd have had to have been thirsty and told you couldn't drink from the water fountain. Hungry and told you couldn't eat at the restaurant.' She said, 'You don't know what we've been through. We fought so your generation wouldn't have to go through this.'"

Sharpton then indicated his beliefthat the struggles of the past will make those of the future easier to handle.

"Y'all seem to be easily rattled," he said, "'cause some of you forget where we come from and how we got here."

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Al Sharpton speaks at Memphis church for Black History Month - The Commercial Appeal