Al Sharpton: Glenn Beck Trying to "Hijack" Civil Rights Movement

Rev. Al Sharpton told CBS News today that Glenn Beck, who is hosting tomorrow's "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial, is offering a very different message from the one offered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his "I Have a Dream" speech there 47 years earlier.

Beck's statement that he is reclaiming the civil rights movement, Sharpton told CBS News' Wyatt Andrews, reminds him of earlier claims that King was a communist.

"When Dr. King and others came here in '63 to ask the government to protect the civil rights of people and the economic rights of people, they came to ask government to protect them from local states that were robbing them of economic and civil rights," said Sharpton, who is hosting a rally of his own tomorrow. "...Glenn Beck is coming here to ask government to leave us alone, so he's trying to reverse what King did and there are those of us who are not going to allow that to happen."

"They're saying 'we're talking about the honor of America,' they're saying 'we're talking about restoring dignity,' there is nothing more dignified than our country coming together and making sure that everyone has equal opportunity," said Sharpton. "That's not communism, that's really what this country is supposed to stand for and what Dr. King gave his life for." (Watch a portion of the interview at left.)

Al Sharpton

/ CBS

Beck says the fact that his rally is being held on the anniversary of King's speech is a coincidence, though he has embraced said coincidence and suggested he is trying to reclaim the civil rights movement. The conservative radio and Fox News host has said that King's legacy does not only belong to African-Americans.

Sharpton told Andrews that while King stood for the government helping poor Americans, Beck deems that "socialism" and "government ruling our lives."

"It couldn't have been more of a contradiction," he said.

"When government stayed out of people's lives women and blacks couldn't vote," Sharpton argued. "When government stayed out of people's lives we were in the back of the bus. We need government to do what Dr. King came and asked government to do in '63 and we need government to do that now."

"When you start saying you're going to reclaim the civil rights movement that's not even coded, that's a blatant attempt the highjack a movement that changed America," added Sharpton.

Sharpton said his rally is "going to stay way away from" Beck and the "Restoring Honor" rally.

"I'm going to let him have the stage to himself and people will judge for themselves whether that has anything to do with civil rights," he said.

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[xxxpaigexxx]

"there is nothing more dignified than our country coming together and making sure that everyone has equal opportunity," -Does anyone else see the irony in that statement? There will never be equal opportunity if people don't swallow their pride and accept the fact that EVERY demographic has been wronged at some point in history and that if people don't stop feeling self-entitled and sorry for themselves for what their ancestors had to go through, we're all screwed. It's not the 1960s anymore, if the government stops being so entangled in our lives, nobody's sending anyone to the back of the bus... MLK must be rolling in his grave right now.

[BushwackCA]

Hilarious reporting on behalf of CBS, NBC, NYT, MSNBC, ABC, CNN, and a host of other liberal outlets.

"Mostly White Crowd" or "Abundantly White attendees"..Any word on the color of Al's gathering? I guess color only matters when the opposing view is not your own. Sure would be nice to have journalistic integrity again.

But I understand, it's easier to blame FOX for being right leaning than it is to see your own shortcomings.. I only wish there were more networks that actually practiced honesty in journalism...Maybe our nation wouldn't be so screwed up now...Oh well. CBS your ratings show where you rank with the American people.

[citizenbb]

High jacked civil rights? Aren't civil rights for everyone? Wasn't MLK talking to all of us? What a nasty attitude this man hass.

[faceswithin]

No one is taking any thing away from the Black people they are saying its about all people of the USA.

[juri-cuse]

The one thing Al cannot tolerate or understand is his complete irrelevance.

[010sonny]

Imagine a government of TEA flavored republicans ! Dissemination of the core principles of our democratic constitution. Retarding further into debt and laggards to the world. Rise once again, doubt it, our competitors will see to it that it will never happen again.

[citizenbb]

What does that have to do with what Glenn Beck did on Saturday? What does that have to do with Al Sharpton thinking civil rights are just for some?

[bradkt1]

While a decent argument can be made that the likes of Al Sharpton hijacked at least part of the Civil Rights Movement, the likes of Glen beck and the political right are NOT going to get it back to where it should be. They are only trying to do the exact same thing that they complain that Al Sharpton did...only this time from the political right.

The right just doesn't seem to get the fact that when you are led by those who were opposed to just about everything that MLK stood for during his lifetime and have tried to stand in the way of racial progress in the decades since his death, you are NOT going to be credible on an issue like civil rights...especially in the eyes of those who have benefitted from the civil rights movement. This is why the vast majority of members of racial minority groups do not support this effort.

When is the last time that the political right stood up for the rights of minority groups...be those groups racial minorities, women or religious minorities? They seem to only stand up for the rights of Whites. It's hard to even remember when they did otherwise.

Somehow, I just don't see Glen Beck as a champion of the civil rights of Americans. I see him as one who would profane the entire concept of civil rights.

[wfw3536]

Too bad Al's message wasn't as positive as Becks. The take back our country gathering that Beck held showed folks what our country is really all about.

[BringMoney]

Tawana Brawley.

[IronBob]

Beck donated the proceeds of his rally to a veteran's organization, who did Al donate the proceeds of his to?

[Biker-N-OH1]

Reverend Al is just miffed that Beck stole his thunder. You know the thunder from the coat tail he as been riding for the last 47 years. Sharpton is a joke.