SPIEGEL Interview with Al Sharpton 'You Have to Be More than Our Color'
SPIEGEL: You have hinted that you may consider running for president again in the upcoming election. Would you really run against Senator Barack Obama?
Reverend Al Sharpton: I havent decided whether Im going to or not. I'm going to wait and see if someone comes out and champions the issues of social justice that Im concerned about. If they do, I will support them. So far Ive not heard that clear call.
SPIEGEL: But Obama represents an historical opportunity for blacks in America to have one of your own in the White House. Would it not be better for you to throw your weight behind him?
Sharpton: First of all, I havent seen a poll that said Obama can win. Ive seen polls that said Obama would do well. But I want to hear the policies. My support is contingent on whether his platform is something that serves the interests of black people.
SPIEGEL: Does it not count that he himself is black?
Sharpton: Hes certainly an impressive figure, but he cannot just get the support of all of the black community because hes black. We are no longer intoxicated by having the first black president. We had the first black secretary of state and the second black secretary of state and they brought us the most wicked war in our lifetime. So you have to be more than our color. You have to be our kind.
SPIEGEL: In his campaign speeches, Obama says it is time to stop fighting yesterday's battles. One of those battles in the US has been the struggle against racism. Is the civil rights movement obsolete?
Sharpton: People who try and dismiss the present civil rights challenges as if they are in the past do so to excuse themselves from present day activism. Young blacks between 18 and 25 still say that they feel the reason theyre not treated the same as other Americans is because of race. The generation that is young now doesnt feel these are issues of the past.
SPIEGEL: There are many young blacks, though, who have made successful careers for themselves in politics, in business, in sports and in other areas. They no longer need to continue fighting the fight.
Sharpton: Every generation has had some who have gained and benefited. Tell me a time the black community didnt have some blacks that were against the struggle. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was out on the streets, you had blacks that said we shouldnt be marching. There was never a time that King had all blacks -- thats nothing new. But the overwhelming majority of blacks in any poll, young or old, tell you that racism is still a problem, which means there is still the need for an anti-racism movement.
Interview conducted by Marc Hujer
