MEDIA ADVISORY
Tonight's speech by the Rev. Al Sharpton at the University of Colorado at Boulder has been cancelled. Efforts are being made to reschedule the event but no further information is available at this time.
The event was cancelled because Sharpton missed his scheduled flight to Denver this morning from New York. Sharpton also records a daily radio show, and it was not possible for him to do that and arrive on time for the event after missing his scheduled flight, according to Leasa Weimer, assistant director of the University Memorial Center.
The event was free and open to the public, so no ticket refunds are necessary.
Sharpton's presentation had been scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom in the UMC on the CU-Boulder campus. His speech was to address racism and politics in America, and was presented by the University of Colorado at Boulder's student-run Cultural Events Board. The board is part of the University of Colorado Student Union, which is supported by student fees.
Born in 1954 to a middle-class family in Brooklyn, N.Y., Sharpton lived in Queens during his youth. He preached his first sermon at the age of four and by age 10 was a licensed, ordained minister.
He is considered an outspoken fighter for social justice and has been a representative for underrepresented groups in American society over the last 40 years. A political and civil rights activist, Sharpton has become known as a powerful orator. In 2004 he sought the Democratic Party nomination for president.
Media can contact Weimer at (303) 492-0627, the Cultural Events Board at (303) 492-3227, or Mike Liguori of News Services at (303) 492-3117 for more information.