By: Maria-Paula

On Monday, January 15, 2024, founder and president of National Action Network, NAN, Rev. Al Sharpton’s syndicated radio show, Keepin’ It Real, hosted President Joe Biden in marking civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to discuss key issues and policies impacting Black Americans in 2024. With a specific focus on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that King, Jr. steadfastly championed, this year’s holiday, fell on what would have been Dr. King’s 95th birthday.

The interview took place at the National Action Network House of Justice in Harlem, where the organization hosted its Annual King Day Public Policy Forum to discuss the work still ahead in realizing Dr. King’s vision of a just and fair nation.

NAN is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the US with chapters across the entire nation. Founded in 1991, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of their race, religion, nationality, or gender.

President Bidens’ appearance continued to seal a decades long relationship with Rev. Sharpton. In January 2023, Biden delivered his keynote speech at the NAN King Day Breakfast in Washington D.C., where he detailed his Administration’s policy priorities for Black Americans. The president also honored a call from Rev. Sharpton and other civil rights leaders to host a summit against the rise in violent hate attacks against the people of color after a series of mass shootings targeting Black, Latino, Jewish, Asian American and Pacific Islander, amongst other communities.