Reverend Al Sharpton Backs Campaign to Dump Robert E. Lee Name

Announcement by Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the Hutchinson Report

National Action Network President Reverend Al Sharpton on Tuesday, July 7 announced his support for the campaign to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Long Beach, California.

Reverend Sharpton called the name "offensive" considering the pivotal role Lee played in upholding slavery and called on Long Beach school officials to immediately remove the name.

Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson said that the Reverend Sharpton's endorsement of the dump Robert E. Lee campaign is a major start toward a real national campaign against the use of public institutions to honor Confederate traitors and slavery backers.

“The Reverend Sharpton not only endorsed the Lee campaign but also made it clear that direct action by civil rights leaders locally and nationally is a real option to prod Long Beach school officials to scrap the Lee name," Hutchinson, "Civil rights leaders will call for a March in Long Beach backing a name change if local officials refuse to take action."