Sharpton leads march for "decency" in music
By Caroline Valetkevitch
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Black activist Al Sharpton led a march against racist and sexist language in music on Thursday, targeting the big record companies three weeks after he pushed for the firing of radio host Don Imus because of an on-air racial slur.
A crowd estimated at about 400 turned out for the midtown Manhattan march past Universal Music Group and other record company buildings, shouting phrases such as "Decency Now" and "Enough is Enough."
Last week, U.S. hip-hop executive Russell Simmons made a similar push, recommending removing the words "bitch," "ho" and "nigger" from the recording industry.
"We're saying there must be one standard. You can't have different standards for different people," said Sharpton. "Once we finish with the record companies, we must deal with the HBOs and others."
Warner Music Group said in a statement on Thursday: "We take issues regarding the role of women and minorities in society very seriously. ... We edit explicit lyrics, including those that are the focus of the current public debate, from content."
Sharpton said he had several of James Brown's children marching with him on what would have been the late singer's 74th birthday.
Sharpton and other activists repeatedly called for the firing of Imus after the radio personality used a racial slur in reference to the mostly black women's basketball team at Rutgers University. Imus was dropped from radio and other programs soon after the incident.
"Corporations must take a stand against humiliating other human beings," said Taina Bien-Aime, executive director of rights organization Equality Now. She was among the marchers.
