E-mail a friendFebruary 2, 2004
Rev. Al Sharpton discusses his presidential bid. Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. describes his PBS documentary, America Beyond the Color Line.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Included on Time's "25 Most Influential Americans" list, Harvard's Henry Louis Gates has used his prominence to promote the expansion of Black studies. He was the first Black American to earn a Ph.D. from Cambridge University and lectures nationally on multiculturalism and African American literature. His many projects include the African American Lives TV specials, which he hosted and co-produced, The Root, an online magazine dedicated to Black perspectives, and the new 8-volume African American National Biography.
Rev. Al Sharpton
Rev. Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton is both constant and controversial. Growing up, his world was churches, nightclubs and protest marches. He was ordained at age 10 and preached on tour with Mahalia Jackson. He briefly managed James Brown, was a youth organizer with Don King, worked on projects with Jesse Jackson and, in '91, founded the National Action Network. Sharpton was the first Black to run for the U.S. Senate from NY and won 32% of the vote in his '97 run for mayor. He also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in '04.