E-mail a friendMarch 31, 2008
In the first of a week-long series of shows from Memphis in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Al Sharpton says that America is good at accepting a moment, but not a movement. National Civil Rights Museum president Beverly Robertson tells the story of the museum and the Lorraine Motel.
Rev. Al Sharpton
Rev. Al Sharpton
National Action Network founder says that, with regard to race, the nation has not changed that much since 1968. (2:14)
Rev. Al Sharpton says that America is good at accepting a moment, but not a movement. Full interview. (23:19)
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.
Beverly Robertson
Beverly Robertson
National Civil Rights Museum president tells the story of the museum and the Lorraine Motel. Full interview. (9:04)
Since '97, Beverly Robertson has been president of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN—one of the venues for activities planned commemorating the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's death. Robertson is also a principal at Trust Marketing and Communications Consortium. She previously spent 19 years with Holiday Inn Worldwide, in posts that included marketing communications director, and has been featured in numerous publications, including Essence, The New York Times and Black Enterprise.