The Rev. Al Sharpton visited Syracuse University last night to provide students with his opinions on the latest political issues and the 2004 presidential race. Sharpton is well-known for his loquacious personality, and after his two-hour speech he had plenty more to say about the current political scene and other issues concerning the nation.

How’ve you enjoyed your stay in Syracuse?

I thought it was very good. I was very happy with the forum tonight, particularly with the good turnout. And I was impressed with the level of questions. The students asked far more intelligent questions than a lot of the media. Over the last year, I’ve had to face everyone from Peter Jennings to Tom Brokaw to Ted Koppel, and I think I heard more intelligent questions tonight than I heard at the debate.

How far are we from having a minority in the White House?

Hopefully not as far as we were. I don’t know if we’re four years or 16 years (from it), but I think it’s within the reach of this generation. Hopefully my race made it more and more a non-story. We have someone who has been an activist and most Americans accept him as a legitimate presidential candidate, which is what happened in my case. It makes it even easier for the next person, and I think that’s good.

Would you accept the vice presidential nomination if asked to join the ticket?

No, I’m not interested in being vice president. I’m interested in continuing my civil rights work and political involvement in terms of voter education, and I’m looking very much forward to moving into television and radio to give a contrary voice to the Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity crazies.

Many large markets did not broadcast your performance on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in order not to provide unfair coverage of one candidate. What are your opinions on this?

I thought it was unfortunate. I thought it was unfair. I was also gratified that we had the highest rating of ‘Saturday Night Live’ of the year, with those markets out. It shows people wanted to see it.

What was your favorite ‘SNL’ skit you performed in?

I don’t know. Probably, out of my own bias, I liked doing James Brown because he was so important to me. But I liked doing the other skits. I had a lot of fun that night.

How was it playing Ryan Fellows, the younger brother of ‘SNL’ cast member Tracy Morgan’s recurring character Brian Fellows?

I saw Tracy Morgan a few weeks ago and we still laugh about it.

Bill Clinton made a name for himself with younger voters by appearing on MTV. How can candidates sell themselves to college crowds like Clinton did?

They must talk about issues that young people from colleges are affected by, like tuition, and also just general social issues that affect them. And I think they should go on MTV and other things. I did MTV a lot when I was running. I did ‘Saturday Night Live.’ They have to know that you’re more than a politician, that you have a life, that you listen to music, that you can laugh at yourself. One of the things that I think politicians do wrong is one of the reasons I did ‘SNL.’ They take themselves too seriously. People trust you when they know that you can be passionate and serious about issues, but that you’re not so serious that you can’t be questioned. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Take what you’re about more seriously than you take yourself.

Where do your musical tastes lie?

James Brown raised me, so I’m biased to him. When I was 17, he kind of adopted me as a son. His son, Kenny, was friends with me and the same age as me. But then he got killed in a car accident and James kind of took me in and took me on the road with him. So James is, literally, like my father. But I also like a lot of R&B. I like Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Commodores, Stevie Wonder. And I love Gospel music. I also listen to jazz. I like hop-hop. I like Mary J. Blige, I like Erykah Badu. I like a lot of the new stuff, but my musings are more old R&B.

One of the reasons these students love you is for your pop culture cameos in movies and TV. Which is your favorite cameo of yours?

I did ‘Malcolm X,’ I did ‘Mr. Deeds,’ I did ‘Bamboozled’ and Spike Lee is talking about doing something this summer. But I had a lot of fun with ‘Mr. Deeds.’ I like Adam Sandler.

Would you prefer students abstain from voting or vote uninformed?

I think that they ought to be informed. They should vote just to be voting, but I don’t think they should say ‘I don’t know enough’ and not vote at all. They should seek to be informed and be informed on the issues that matter to them, not just general ones. You don’t have to master The New York Times and Wall Street Journal every day, but the area of life that means the most to you. Know something about it and know something about what the candidates’ record is in those areas and what they propose to do in those areas in the future.

Shows like ‘Chappelle’s Show’ are pushing the boundaries of racial issues in popular culture. Is this a positive or negative thing?

It’s too early to tell. It doesn’t bother me yet. It hasn’t been there long enough to see what the fallout is. I’ve seen it a couple of times, but being in the campaign, I haven’t seen it as much as I’d like. What I’ve seen hasn’t bothered me that much. But a lot of it goes way out of the box.

How do you see yourself in the eyes of the college students?

A lot of college students view me as different than a normal politician. To have several hundred (last night in Goldstein Auditorium), and some who had to pay, is a good indication. A lot of them, even if they disagree with me, they at least think I’m being sincere. I don’t think college students think that I’m telling them something just to say it, but rather that I mean it. And I think that’s good. I’d rather be respected than loved.

They also know you for your beautifully cropped locks of hair. How do you keep it looking so good?

It doesn’t take that much. I go to the hair stylist once every week or two. James Brown got me to change my hairstyle. I was young, and I kept it as a tribute to him. That’s our bond. It doesn’t take as much as people think. When I had an afro, it was about same amount of work.

Published on April 12, 2004 at 12:00 pm