Sharpton Calls On State's Black Leaders To Reconnect
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A fiery sermon given by Reverend Al Sharpton in Albany over the weekend has put some African-American leaders on the hotseat, questioning whether they're doing enough to help their constituents or if they're just focused on helping themselves. NY1's Erin Billups filed the following report.Preaching in Albany on Sunday, Reverend Al Sharpton called lawmakers to task, challenging them to remember why and how they got to where they are.
"Hang up Dr. King's picture in your office. Hang up Malcolm's picture in your office and don't do what either one of them told you. You ought to have Buckwheat up in your office," Sharpton said.
Some lawmakers who attended the annual black and Latino caucus meeting say it was a reminder they needed.
"Sometimes you get caught up in all the glitz and glamour and the authority and being called senator or being an elected official that you forget the humble beginnings from whence you came," said State Senate Minority Leader John Sampson.
Sampson says he and others have tried to continue the fight for social justice by reforming the Rockefeller Drug Laws, passing the domestic workers bill of rights and at least bringing gay marriage to the senate floor for a vote.
Still, much of that has been overshadowed by scandals surrounding state lawmakers. Malcolm Smith, who led the Democrats during their tumultuous two-year majority, says some of the criticism they received was because they were under the microscope.
"Today there's 24 hour news cycles. Clearly there's going to be more scrutiny over individuals. But that just means we have to work harder," Smith said.
Harder work is needed to tackle the alarmingly low graduation rates among minorities as well as high unemployment. Political consultant Basil Smikle challenged Harlem state senator Bill Perkins last fall and lost. He says Sharpton is right to hold lawmakers accountable for the lack of progress in minority communities.
"I think there's a growing disconnect between what we fought for, and what people of Reverend Sharpton's generation fought for and the actual results today," Smikle said.
Keeping accountability high, Smikle says, is another way to ensure progress.
"A lot more people are talking about that as a way to ensure turnover in government so that more people, perhaps a younger generation in office and certainly more innovative generation."
Smith, though, admits mistakes have been made.
"It builds character, tells me some of my weaknesses and the strengths that I've got to take care of and I'm looking forward to the future," Smith said.