Reverend Al Sharpton, the recognized civil rights leader who galvanized the nation this summer when he urged America to “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks,” at George Floyd’s funeral, has added another job to his already busy portfolio.
Come January, Sharpton—who currently hosts a nationally syndicated radio show and MSNBC’s popular PoliticsNation—will become Professor Sharpton.
The 66-year-old activist will join the faculty at Tennessee State University as a Distinguished Guest Lecturer where he will teach a political science course to undergraduate students.
“We are excited to have the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights icon, serve as a distinguished lecturer at our university,” said TSU’s President Dr. Glenda Glover. “His presence means our students will be able to engage with a piece of history at a time when his insight is more relevant than ever before.”
Already a popular speaker on college campuses for several decades now, Sharpton has been a regular fixture at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including TSU, where he was awarded an honorary degree last year in recognition of his body of work and societal impact. He has also received honorary degrees from Medgar Evers College, Bethune-Cookman University, Voorhees College, Fisk University and Virginia Union University.
His impact has been felt abroad too. In recent years, Sharpton has lectured twice at Oxford University and received the prestigious James Joyce award from the Literary and Historical Society of the University College Dublin.
The decision to hire Sharpton is a major coup for the public HBCU headquartered in Nashville that boasts more than 7,000 students.
