Rev. Al Sharpton

Rev. Al Sharpton was born in Brooklyn, but it was Hollis, Queens, that helped shape one of America’s most recognizable civil rights voices. A child preacher before he was old enough for school, Sharpton grew into a minister, activist, and media figure—and founded the National Action Network—carrying into public life the urgency, discipline, and community-rooted voice first honed in New York’s Black church and neighborhood traditions.

Child Preacher to Hollis — and Beyond

Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. was born in Brooklyn on October 3, 1954. From early childhood, his gift was voice: the ability to speak with rhythm, force, conviction, and command. He preached his first sermon at age four. Quickly becoming quite a phenomenon, he was embraced by Black churches across New York as the "Wonder Boy Preacher," toting a miniature robe and even touring with gospel pioneer Mahalia Jackson. Recognizing his extraordinary oratorical gifts, Bishop F.D. Washington formally licensed and ordained the prodigy as a Pentecostal minister at age nine.

In 1960, Sharpton's father, Alfred Sharpton Sr.—a prosperous building contractor who owned 23 buildings in Brooklyn—purchased a beautiful home on a 60-by-100-foot lot at 100-50 199th Street in Hollis. Young Al attended PS 134 and later JHS 109 in Queens Village while The family enjoyed a grand, 10-room home with a sprawling yard, and his father bought a new Cadillac every year.

The Rupture. Then suddenly everything changed when the family broke apart and Sharpton and his mother resumed a life in Brooklyn where Sharpton graduated from Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn College for two years. his profound economic shock instilled in him an early, fierce sensitivity to social inequality. The stark contrast between the suburban dignity of Hollis and the systemic neglect of urban housing projects ignited his passion for civil rights and community advocacy by the time he was twelve.

But it was the rupture—the fall from suburban stability into public housing—that forged the urgency, discipline, and community-rooted voice he would carry into public life. His identity was shaped not just by Black religious tradition and Queens neighborhood life, but by the expectation that a strong voice should be used in service of people who need one—because he had once been a child who needed one, too.

” I didn't know 'hood living. I learned it at ten,” Sharpton later recalled. To protect the young minister from the pitfalls of political outrage, Bishop Washington channeled his energy into social action, introducing him to Rev. Jesse Jackson and the economic justice initiatives of Operation Breadbasket. From 1973 to 1980, he worked as tour manager for singer James Brown. But his true calling never left him. As a man willing to tell it as he sees it, he entered the realm of civil rights activism and politics—and the rest is history.

National Action Network

In 1991, Sharpton founded the National Action Network (NAN). The organization describes itself as a civil rights group working in the spirit and tradition of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda. Over time, NAN grew into one of America's most prominent civil rights pillars—with chapters in cities across the country and a track record of mobilizing communities, demanding accountability from police and government, and standing with families who had nowhere else to turn. Its advocacy spans policing, voting rights, education, corporate accountability, economic justice, and the rights of communities often excluded from power.

Through NAN, Sharpton became one of the most visible public advocates for families confronting police violence, racial discrimination, and government indifference. His leadership style has drawn both support and criticism, but his influence is undeniable. For decades, he has remained part of the public conversation around race, justice, protest, and power in America.

Politics, Radio, and Television

Sharpton also entered electoral politics. He ran for the U.S. Senate in New York and, in 2004, became a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. While he did not win office, his campaigns gave him a national stage and positioned him as a political voice who could bring civil rights concerns into televised debates and party politics.

He later expanded his reach through broadcast media. Since 2011, he has hosted PoliticsNation on MSNBC, making him one of the most visible African-American political commentators in the country. His career—rooted in the intersection of church, protest, and politics—has made him a singular figure in modern American life: a minister, activist, organizer, and television host who learned long ago that public pressure can force public accountability.