Alfred Charles "
Al"
Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an
American civil rights activist,
Baptist minister, television/
radio talk show host and a trusted
White House adviser who, according to
60 Minutes, has become President
Barack Obama's "go-to black leader." In 2004, he was a candidate for the
Democratic nomination for the
U.S. presidential election. He hosts his own radio talk show,
Keepin' It Real, and he makes regular guest appearances on
Fox News (such as on
The O'Reilly Factor),
CNN, and
MSNBC. In 2011, he was named the host of MSNBC's
PoliticsNation, a nightly talk show.