In the long-awaited second installment of our “Al Sharpton Points His Finger at…” series, the reverend explores the inequitable distribution of resorts on white sand beaches.

Happy New Year, my friends!

It’s 2024, and once again I’m pissed. I just returned home from a humanitarian retreat to Puerto Vallarta, and I was outraged to find that most of the resort owners there are operating their properties on white sand beaches.

You hear what I just said? WHITE sand beaches!

I am flabbergasted by the fact that we live in a world where hard-working, selfless social justice activists like myself struggle to find 5-star resorts on black- or brown-sand beaches willing to comp our stay for a few weeks while we brainstorm ways to make America more equitable for all. Apparently, places like French Polynesia, Barbados, and Grand Cayman didn’t get the message that the days of Jim Crow are supposed to be in the past.

Sure, the white sand covering the beaches at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita felt like tiny silk pillows sliding against the outrageously large corns on my feet, but how is a historically oppressed man receiving a completely free six-room, beachside bungalow supposed to enjoy that otherworldly feeling when the sand providing said feeling is so blatantly enjoying a privilege other beaches cannot?

Should we not care equally about hosting civil rights icons like me at resorts on the black volcanic rock beaches of Indonesia or Dominica? Yes, the sharp and course black sand of those beaches is a little tough on the feet. Sure, the dark sand holds the heat of the sun longer, making it damn near impossible to stand in one place for more than two seconds. But only when the downtrodden Al Sharpton’s of the world are given complimentary VIP access to resorts on beaches of ALL colors will we then be able to fully enjoy the other amenities those resorts have to offer…at no charge…as we tackle the difficult, but necessary, work of solving racial injustices in America and abroad.

And while I’ve got your attention, what’s up with all the Mexicans here?

Until next time, keep pointing at things.

God bless,
Rev. Sharp