The Reverend Al Sharpton has a nationally syndicated news program on MSNBC…where he reaches millions of television viewers every day. Unfortunately, Sharpton used this platform to state that, “people from Puerto Rico would all have to go back, if their parents are undocumented.”
Here is the video of that statement:
In other words, Al Sharpton believes that Puerto Ricans are not inherently U.S. citizens.
After 99 years of US citizenship (Puerto Ricans were made US citizens in March 1917, just in time for World War I) this is a truly astounding view.
Of course, Sharpton is entitled to his own ignorance. He worked long and hard for it. But when a television show reaches millions of viewers, it is important to correct any misinformation. Here now, for Sharpton’s benefit, is Citizenship 101.
CITIZENSHIP 101

4. When the 65th U.S. Infantry Regiment, aka the Borinqueneers, receives the Congressional Medal of Honor for their service, sacrifice, injury and death in three U.S. wars…then ALL PUERTO RICANS ARE U.S. CITIZENS.
5. When any Puerto Rican living in the U.S. mainland has the automatic right to vote in any and all U.S. elections, that is because ALL PUERTO RICANS ARE U.S. CITIZENS.
6. When even on the island, Puerto Ricans pay social security taxes, federal payroll taxes, U.S. import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes and Medicare taxes, that is because ALL PUERTO RICANS ARE U.S. CITIZENS.
7. There is no such thing as an “undocumented Puerto Rican,” because ever since 1917, ALL PUERTO RICANS ARE U.S. CITIZENS.
A TEACHABLE MOMENT
Sharpton’s statement about “undocumented Puerto Ricans” was absolutely ridiculous – but it does provide a teachable moment. The Reverend grew up in Brooklyn, a borough with 200,000 Puerto Ricans in it. He has been involved in New York City politics for the past 30 years – a city with 1 million Puerto Ricans in it.
After 60 years on this planet, surrounded by 1 million Puerto Ricans, Sharpton still doesn’t know that Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens for 99 years. That is a sad commentary on our public education system.
America needs to be clear about its citizens, in order to have a truly functioning and participatory democracy. We did not spend 99 years in the belly of this beast, to have some ignoramus ask us for “our papers.” We certainly don’t need this ignorance to be amplified on a national news program, to millions of TV viewers.
Both the Rev. Al Sharpton and MSNBC owe an apology to the Puerto Rican people.
All 8.6 million of them.
All of whom are U.S. CITIZENS.
For a history of the War Against All Puerto Ricans, read the book…
Si prefiere ver la página web en español por favor visite: http://www.guerracontratodoslospuertorriquenos.com
Algo de cierto hay en las palabras del reverendo…La ciudadana impuesta a los súbditos en la Colonia es una muy particular, no es una ciudadanía constitucional. Siendo que fue producto de legislación congresional así mismo puede ser modificada,revocada y/o limitada mediante nueva legislación.
Eso es algo que hasta hace poco se podría considerar impensable… Pero los últimos fallos del Supremo y los propios actos del Congreso apuntan en esa dirección.
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Bruto y la cara le ayuda
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Al Sharpton, como reverendo al fin , es un buscón y desde ya se puede ir a las mimísimas gavetas del CARAJO.
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SO, OUR YOUNG MENS AND WOMEN CAN GO TO WAR IN THE NAME OF USA AND FIGHT AND DIED BUT WE ARE NOT AMERICAN CITIZENS,,,,,
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Those kind of people call themselves leaders. Are you kidding me?. That was a great comment to make him look like as an ass. He put his own foot in his mouth and show the world how stupid and ignorant he really is.
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the Rev. Sharpton just slip up he was on tv and sometimes you get a mind blurr, you must remember that Rev. Sharpton was arrested for protesting the United States Navy bombing at Vieques, that showed his support to the people of Puerto Rico and the whole Puerto Rican community!
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No Victor, he flubbed his generalization and is why he had to make a public retraction. You can look up his apology on YouTube.
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Maybe he confused Puerto Ricans with Dominicans. Lets give him the benefit of the doubt.
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Article from 2014 New York Times: Al Sharpton Owes $4.5 Million In Taxes And Steals From His Charities, this guy is a joke!
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The typical ignorance of a socialist Democrat.
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Never argue with an ignorant idiot like that Pseudo Leader Sharpton! You will have to level yourself to his level of knowledge and intelligence, and he will win due to his experience!
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Nobody should fail to consider the source, motivation and history of Al Sharpton, before thinking that he can be trusted to combine his personal bias with anything more than half a fact! His business, however, is very successful. He sells racism and his worst competitor is claiming to be a holy person. He and Jesse Jackson deserve credit for doing their best to make their survival happen by selling hate and falsehood.
The strangest thing is that in my 83 years I have seen racism able to disappear. If those two would retire and shut-up and leave the media without the kind of negative appearances that only support the advertisers that pay for the TV time, we could help those who want to use race as an excuse for their own shortcomings. It can’t be easy, because it has to start with a different educational system that does not want to eliminate controversy and a political system that engineers ways to win votes that are not what they appear to be. It will take several decades to convince all that DNA is important- skin color is not; but almost all have DNA that is capable of independent survival, if we get a chance and have a desire to do it. Look at Dr. Ben Carson and his brother and you can see how their mother alone motivated and helped them achieve the best evidence to support this statement possible.
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Sharpton,you should go back to school, to learn more, in general about american history,and in particular, about Porto Ricans,then you can talk Dummy.
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Don’t sweat this. NOBODY watches MSNBC. Maybe a few thousand, but no way millions. Gracias a Dios…
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No solo Al Sharpton desconoce la realidad de los puertorriqueños, sino también la gran mayoría de los Estadounidenses.yo vivi y estudié en los EEUU en la decada de los 50 y al dia de hoy es exactamente lo mismo. Pienso que nunca alcanzaremos lugar de respeto y aceptación en el Norte….
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Sharpton is right! Children of UNDOCUMENTED Puerto Ricans would have to go back. The key word here is UNDOCUMENTED. How many people come through Puerto Rico to the U.S. that aren’t DOCUMENTED Puerto Ricans but gain access to the U.S. buy saying they are Boricua? What we need is full control of our island so that UNDOCUMENTED people can’t get into the U.S. through our island. YES / NO ?
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Poor AL Shapton, JUST DOESN’T GET IT.
NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL!
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Well this is not the first time he made comment dispraging Puerto Ricans. Many years ago in a very bad fire on 125th street where several puerto Ricans died or badly injured triggered by Al Sharpton protest which resulted in death he took zero responsibilty…….In fairness he did stand with us in Vieques but he doesnt occupy the same ground as Malcom X or Martin Luther King not even close……..
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We are not citezen.but went he need suporter for all that protest there we are a puertorriqueno side by side with the afro american the also just american get infor before open your mouth.
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I know that what he said was ignorant, but your giving him too much credit. Millions of people don’t watch his show, in fact, I thought it was cancelled for lack viewership. I wouldn’t have heard if it wasn’t on Facebook. I don’t watch msnbc. On one hand they say they love Latinos and with other they stab us in the back. Ugh! Sharpton is an idiot. Period!
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God please enlighten your preacher only You know what else he is erroneously preaching and leading to the wayside.
Thank you for MSNBC to show us where they get their stories from . Are they competing for a comedy slot.
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Once an idiot, always an idiot.
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sharpton ,need to get educated before making stupid ,unfunded allegations stupid mother _ucker……
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We dont like him. He dont speak for us.
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AS A NEWYORICAN BORN AND RAISED IN NY, I AM APPALLED YET NOT SURPRISED, THIS GUY IS AS MUCH A REV AS CLARK KENT IS SUPERMAN, PENDEJO, BREAKOUT YOUR DICTIONARY AND FIGURE THAT ONE OUT REV!!!!! TONY U.S. NAVY, RETIRED
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Sharpton or is it charlatan is an anal crevice
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That’s what you call ignorance, he made himself look like a big asshole on TV. .
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Same stupidity as Trump. Should tun on his ticket. They have a lot of common ground.
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Here’s a guy that sold the Tawana Brawley rape story as true (when it wasn’t), the BLM movement’s “hands up don’t shoot” (which was proven false by the DOJ), and now believes that by going to school in Brooklyn he learned something about Puerto Ricans. Yet, so many people listens to him, because he tells them what they want to hear.
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Al Sharpton is an ASS AND WILL AL BE.
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There’s the discriminatory mind of a biased propagandist, only interested in Black supremacy at the cost of other so-called “Minorities”.
So he enjoys the support of Puerto Ricans when they join the rallies for justice, but then wants to conviniently discard them when he feels he no longer needs them.
Apparently to Sharpton Black lives ONLY matter, and when he cries for justice he’s not including us on the scales balance.
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I don’t know if this stupidity deserve a comment, oh Mr. Al Sharpton, you made an mistake of ignorance again, you Mr.Sharpton you should go back to school and take American History one more time. WE are 99 years US Citizens,are you a Black US Citizens? Please check your status…… thanks for nothing
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