Join me in fight to keep Dr. King's dream alive

e-mail this story More details The Rev. Al Sharpton is a native New Yorker and a lifelong minister and civil rights activist. He is the founder of the New York-based National Action Network, which focuses on voter registration, social services and economic empowerment in disadvantaged communities. For more information, see www.sharpton2004.org.

The question is: Will you fight to keep the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King alive or will you let it die?

I have decided to fight. On Tuesday, Feb. 3, in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, I am asking you to join me.

Will you join me in my fight to make high-quality health care and high-quality education fundamental rights that are due to all Americans, or will our access to health care and the quality of our schools continue to deteriorate?

Will you join me in my effort to make sure that all Americans, and especially people of color, are secure in their right to vote?

Will you join me in my fight to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to earn their share of the American dream?

We no longer want to work in the farms and factories — we want to own the farms and factories. We no longer want just to eat at the lunch counter; we want to own the drugstore. We no longer want to just ride at the front of the bus, we want to own the bus company.

Small businesses such as farms, factories, drugstores and bus companies are responsible for more than 80 percent of all jobs created in the United States, and the number is even higher in communities of color. For this reason, I have proposed a bold plan that would exempt all small businesses from federal taxes for two years to create jobs.

I will not rest until the economic prosperity that has reached some Americans reaches all Americans. I am running to ensure that no community is left behind.

I am running for president to guarantee that the Democratic Party will lead this fight.

I am running to make sure the Democratic Party no longer takes the vote of our minority communities for granted and realizes the Democratic platform must reflect the needs and concerns of the black, Latino and Asian-American communities.

Will we fight for affirmative action, or will we stand with those in our party, such as Howard Dean, who have said it shouldn't be done on the basis of race?

I am running for president to make sure that everything Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Adam Clayton Powell and Robert F. Kennedy fought for will not be lost.

George Washington once said: "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience."

Our campaign seeks to keep alive the conscience of the Democratic Party by building a new, dynamic infrastructure to push forward progressive values and ideals.

With your help on Feb. 3, we will provide that vital spark to bring Dr. King's dream and the American dream together, not only in the hearts and minds of our leaders, but in the priorities and policies of our nation, as we traverse the 21st century, together.