Dean of Students Ben Lieber introduced Sharpton as a "spokesman for the disenfranchised" who had been an activist since his youth in New York City and as one of the 2004 Democratic presidential candidates.
Sharpton thanked Lieber for the comments, noting that he does not always receive such complimentary introductions. "Maybe 'cause I'm the only candidate that came to campus, I get extra kudos," he joked.
"We rarely step outside of ourselves … and view [the status quo] from a bigger-picture vantage point," he said. "[I'm going to tell you] where we are in history and where we need to go," he added.
"George Bush is … trying to really redefine what America will be all about," he said. He emphasized the resulting need for Americans to define what America ought to represent in the coming years, rather than leaving that task to the president.
"Nothing just happens by chance, and without a struggle, everything will not just 'be alright,'" he said. "We're sitting here with the greatest federal deficit in U.S. history, and [the Bush administration] act[s] as though that is just normal," he said.
Addressing the war in Iraq, Sharpton said he stood opposed to the war from the beginning. "In the climate of this trauma [of Sept. 11], George Bush says we must go topple the government of Saddam Hussein because he has weapons of mass destruction [WMDs] and we are in imminent danger … and then he completely changed his reasons after the war," he said.
"Now, I didn't go to this school, but I know what the word 'imminent' means," he added.
He noted that the Bush administration, despite its possession of advanced technology, could not show the American public conclusive evidence of Iraq's WMDs. "I didn't have inside information that there were no WMDs, but I did have what's called common sense," Sharpton said.
Sharpton also addressed the issue of gay marriage, acknowledging that many think his position as a reverend conflicts with his support of gay marriage. He addressed this by saying that the government has no right to impose moral judgments on those they govern.
"The issue is not who you go to bed with at night, it's if either of you have a job ... in the morning," he said.
Sharpton transitioned from discussing policy issues to discussing the apathy of many blacks today who have distanced themselves from the ongoing black rights movement. "I don't care how well-educated you become, you still have to operate in the social realities of this country," he said.
He addressed the bulk of his comments to those operating under what he called "personal intoxication"-the view that some blacks are currently exempt from the struggle for true freedom based on their individual success.
"You can't make enough money to spare yourself from racism," he said, noting that the blacks who are racially-profiled by law enforcement in the 1990s and today are often successful suburban blacks, not those who fit the 'urban trouble-maker' stereotype.
Moving back to issues of policy, he stressed the need for a renewed commitment to public education, the institution of a universal healthcare system and a re-emphasis on civil liberties.
During the question-and-answer period, Sharpton expressed his doubts about the truth of the testimony Condoleeza Rice, head of the National Security Agency, will deliver to the 9-11 Commission this week. Along the same lines, Sharpton explained that he finds it ironic that a black woman is being called upon by the Bush administration to answer for their pre-Sept. 11 actions. "She will either be the star or the scapegoat," he said.