Sharpton Wants to Take Rap Generation to the Polls

By Nedra Pickler

May 9, 2003

WASHINGTON--Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton said he will travel across the country this summer with musicians and religious leaders in an effort to register 1.3 million new voters by next January.

Determined to play a credible role in national politics, Sharpton said he will try to persuade the hip-hop generation, the elderly and poor that participating in elections can improve their lot in life.

His rivals, Sharpton argues, are focused on winning over existing voters.

''If I can't do it, name me who can do it?'' he said. ''It's not like they have an alternative person on the scene that connects with voters, that has the name recognition in the African-American and Latino community and that can do this.''

Sharpton will concentrate on voter registration tours in the South and Northeast this summer, then begin his presidential campaign in earnest after Labor Day. He realizes his goal is ambitious, but he is working with hip-hop record mogul Russell Simmons and Kedar Massenburg, president of Motown Records, to get popular artists involved.

''Just that kind of energy could stimulate a turnout and increased registration like we've never seen before because if you take a Jay-Z or a Run-DMC into Harlem, that's one thing,'' he said. ''You take them to Greenville, South Carolina, that's the biggest thing that happened there in six months.''

Sharpton tested his appeal the morning after last Saturday's Democratic presidential debate at a South Carolina Baptist church where he reminded the parishioners of civil rights struggles.

''And here we are 40 years later, nobody's shooting you, nobody's bombing you, no dogs bite you--you're too lazy and ungrateful to get up and use your right somebody died to give you!'' he shouted to parishioners.

David Bositis, a researcher at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said the question is whether Sharpton's charisma will translate into more voters.

'It's possible that most of the people he talks to are already registered,'' he said.