In this exclusive video report for NewsOne, correspondent Stacy Samuel reviews Al Sharpton’s transformation from firebrand to elder statesman of the civil rights movement, culminating in last week’s National Action Network convention, marking the 20th anniversary of Sharpton’s organization — and in a televised conversation with Cornel West that turned into a political showdown.
“A lot of Blacks in the intellectual circles have a problem with me because of class issues,” Sharpton says in the interview. “I was a college dropout with a James Brown hairdo. ‘He cant talk for us!’ I mean all of the arrogance! They want to speak about the proletariat but don’t want a proletarian leader!”
