At Convention, Presidential Candidates Appear, but Rev. Sharpton May be the Biggest Star

By Austin Santiago

 

The Sheraton Hotel in Times Square is buzzing with activity as the 2019 National Action Network (NAN) convention is underway. Founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton in 1991, the NAN has become one of the leading civil rights organizations in the United States. It has pushed for reform is areas such as criminal justice, police accountability, and voting rights.

This year’s convention has a focus on the 2020 presidential election, and there is certainly no shortage of candidates attending. The conference will welcome close to a dozen 2020 democratic candidates for the presidency.

On Thursday, John Delaney and Pete Buttgieg spoke; on Wednesday, convention goers heard from candidates Beto O’Rourke and Andrew Yang. On Friday, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and John Hickenlooper will be speaking.

The convention will also feature appearances from New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as another rising national progressive star, Stacey Abrams of Georgia.

Although there are plenty of special guests to garner excitement, perhaps the most anticipated speaker is Sharpton himself. The crowd erupted into applause as Sharpton made his way to the podium, and chanted in unison when the reverend kicked off the day with his saying of “No justice, no peace!” On Thursday, Sharpton himself questioned both presidential candidates, U.S. Resentative John Delaney of Maryland and Mayor Pete Buttgieg of South Bend, Indiana.

Sharpton’s questions ranged from reform in the nation’s police departments to if they would sign a bill that offered reparations for descendants of slaves. Both candidates said “yes” to the latter question.

In an official press release, Sharpton highlighted the goal of this year’s convention: “The convention is an opportunity for Black America to cut through the noise and hear from our leaders on the issues and policies that are going to be driving our voting agenda in 2020.”

Bea Pickney and her husband, Ron, traveled all the way from Georgia to attend the event. They use the convention as a way to better understand those running for the highest office in the land. “Every year you get to meet the candidates,” said Bea Pinckney, “and being here we get to learn more about those candidates.”

Not only do those in attendance get to meet presidential candidates, but they also get to listen to panels discuss issues such as fair media coverage and mental health in the black community. The influence of the NAN founder has not been lost on the attendees. When asked about the importance of Al Sharpton to the NAN movement, Ron Pickney said, “He brings attention to a lot of issues that otherwise would not be seen in the media.”

Sharpton says he created the NAN in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, who was assassinated 51 years ago Thursday.