NEW YORK – The Rev. Al Sharpton marked the 20th anniversary of his Harlem-based organization by teaming with President Barack Obama and top White House officials to tackle issues troubling black Americans — from youth violence and school dropout rates to foreclosures.
The president was to appear Wednesday evening at the annual conference of the black pastor’s National Action Network.
The first session at Manhattan’s Sheraton New York Hotel Towers offered a powerhouse lineup, starting with David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Obama’s re-election campaign, followed by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.
Clearly, Obama, the nation’s first black president, is looking to the powerful pastor to help shore up black votes.
But Sharpton, after noting that Axelrod “is not a political operative,” introduced the White House policy-makers.
Holder addressed one of the biggest challenges on Sharpton’s urban streets: how to stop gun-fueled violence.
“I am proud that addressing youth violence is a top priority for this administration — and for today’s Justice Department,” said Holder, the country’s first black attorney general.
While growing up in Queens, one of New York’s five boroughs, “I witnessed the consequences of violence on the streets of this
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