by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, spoke to about 150 people on Saturday at the first conference of the Black Political Action Committee.
Sharpton said he came to encourage all voters - particularly African-Americans and Hispanics - to exercise their right to vote.
"We have an opportunity to come out in big numbers and make a difference this year," he said.
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Sharpton spoke at the Uptown Sheraton.
Sharpton said underrepresented groups have more potential to be recognized in the political arena this year than in the past.
"Both parties are trying to make overtures," he said. "Both parties are trying to deal or not deal, as the case may be, with issues - whether it be affirmative action or immigration or the question of economic fairness."
Sharpton said working with political groups like the committee is necessary to increase voter turnout.
The committee organized a year ago to address issues concerning African-American and underrepresented groups.
Bobbie Green, director of the master of business administration program at NMSU, said the committee plans to set up an affiliation with African-American programs at NMSU and UNM.
"It's the Generation X and the millennium students that are the ones that can make a difference with their votes," Green said. "The word definitely needs to get out."
UNM student Jason Goodman, president of Black Men in Motion, said he attended the conference to support the committee.
"It's imperative that Black Men in Motion, being a development group, supports BPAC, because African-American support is extremely scarce," Goodman said.
Sharpton said students should be concerned with who is elected to what office, because decisions will be made that will affect their lives before and after graduation.
"Students need to go from just being angry to being active, and this election gives them a real opportunity to do that," he said.
Sharpton said he speaks at a lot of universities and hears students complain about the war in Iraq.
"We shouldn't just protest the war," he said. "We have our duty to vote against the war. If all of the pro-war candidates go down, that's the biggest statement that ever was."
Sharpton outlined the sociopolitical problems African-American voters need to address in his speech.
The U.S. government tries to blame the unemployment rate on Hispanics, but immigration has no affect on the African-American unemployment rate, Sharpton said.
"Twenty years ago, blacks were doubly unemployed to whites in this country. Twenty years later, we're doubly unemployed," he said. "If every Mexican-American left today, we would still be doubly unemployed."
Sharpton said the U.S. government needs to be reformed, because it can afford to spend $200 million a day in Iraq but can't afford to fund public education, health insurance for all citizens or a standardized federal voting system.
"That ain't bad enough," he said. "You got a president that can see weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that wasn't there but couldn't see a hurricane in New Orleans that was there."
Sharpton said he blames President George Bush for the failure of the New Orleans levees, because the federal budget to fund repairs for the levees was cut.
Sharpton said activists need to remain dedicated to causes despite a lack of support.
"Don't wait for everybody to get together to move, because everybody ain't never got together," he said. "It was always the committed few that moved, and everybody else benefited once they moved."
Sharpton said people who live for themselves without getting involved in anything should go from the mortuary to the cemetery without having a funeral.
"Only thing that matters two minutes after you die is what you've done for more than yourself," he said.
