Something new I found out today, Al Sharpton is also an “animal activist” according to . . . Al Sharpton.

Al Sharpton via Huffington Post:

When I tell people that I am a vegetarian, many are often surprised. I of course explain the health benefits, but I also explain the benefits to our environment, as well as my views on animals. As an animal activist for the last several years, I, like many, was outraged at the senseless killing of Cecil the lion. In fact, I even support extraditing the man accused of killing Cecil, Dr. Walter Palmer, to Zimbabwe. But as we are enraged over this tragic death, we should be just as outraged over the horrendous killings of Blacks at the hands of police. Why do we not see the same level of universal uproar, condemnation and calls for accountability when an unarmed Black man or woman is gunned down with little to no regard for the value of his or her life? Perhaps it’s time the world unites around the protection of Black lives, just as it is now rallying around Cecil the lion.

August 9th marks the one-year anniversary of the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. My organization, National Action Network, was on the ground pushing for answers after his distraught father contacted me for assistance. I preached at Brown’s funeral and watched yet another family grapple with the sudden loss of a loved one. It’s hard to believe that it has been a year since that catastrophic moment, and even more difficult to comprehend the number of officer-involved shootings/killings we have witnessed since then. Couple that with the lack of prosecutions, convictions and accountability of those accused of committing the killings and we are at a crisis moment. Our collective response must be just as swift and fervent as it is for the death of a lion.