Alfred Charles 'Al' Sharpton Jr., born on October 3, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York, is a prominent American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, television/radio talk show host, and media personality. Raised in a middle-class African American family—his father was a landlord and his mother a seamstress—Sharpton was exposed to activism early, mentored by figures like James Brown, for whom he worked as a tour manager in his youth. Ordained as a Pentecostal minister at age four and later becoming a Baptist preacher, he founded the National Youth Movement in 1971 to address youth issues in urban communities. Sharpton gained national prominence in the 1980s through his involvement in high-profile racial justice cases, including the 1986 Howard Beach incident and the 1987 Tawana Brawley case, where he advocated for the alleged victim despite later controversies surrounding the claims' veracity; he was sued for defamation in relation to Brawley and ordered to pay damages, though he filed for bankruptcy. His activism has often been criticized for sensationalism, with detractors accusing him of race-baiting, yet he remains a key voice against police brutality, notably in cases like those of Amadou Diallo (1999) and Sean Bell (2006).

In the political sphere, Sharpton ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and made other presidential bids, using his campaigns to highlight issues of racial inequality and poverty. He founded and serves as president of the National Action Network (NAN) in 1991, a nonprofit organization focused on civil rights, economic justice, and community empowerment, which has organized protests and lobbied for policy changes. Sharpton publicly condemned the 9/12 Project's Restoring Honor rally. His legal history includes multiple arrests during demonstrations, such as in the 1991 Bensonhurst protests and more recent Black Lives Matter actions, as well as a 2001 guilty plea to a misdemeanor for failing to file tax returns, resulting in community service. Financially, he has faced scrutiny over NAN's finances, with allegations of mismanagement and personal enrichment, including a 2014 settlement with the New York Attorney General over fundraising practices, though no criminal charges ensued.

Today, Sharpton hosts the MSNBC show PoliticsNation, providing political analysis with a focus on social justice, and a nationally syndicated radio program, Keepin' It Real. He serves as a Democratic Party influencer, advising on racial matters and maintaining ties to figures like Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Despite ongoing criticisms for past inflammatory rhetoric—such as anti-Semitic remarks in the 1990s that drew condemnation—Sharpton's influence in shaping national conversations on race endures, positioning him as a polarizing yet enduring figure in American activism.