Al Sharpton
The outspoken activist has softened his rhetoric as he redefines his image in his run for the presidency
By Josh Getlin
Times Staff Writer

July 6, 2003

LANCASTER, S.C. ? On a sweltering afternoon, the Rev. Al Sharpton takes a swig of iced tea and rises to address the crowd at Etta's Kitchen. Hooking his thumbs in the vest of a three-piece suit, the Harlem Democrat explains why he's running for president ? and blisters the Bush administration for a multitude of sins.

"They tell us you're unpatriotic not to stand up for the war in Iraq, but no," he says, his voice booming. "I think that you're unpatriotic to put our American soldiers at risk if they didn't have to be there in the first place."

As the mostly African American crowd cheers, Sharpton reminds attendees of problems in their own backyard: A nearby county has not recognized Martin Luther King Day as a holiday, he says, and people should organize demonstrations to change that."I may look all presidential these days," he says with a delighted grin. "But I'll be coming back here to raise sand with y'all. I mean, I still do that other stuff too."