Rev. Al Sharpton ignited an exuberant get-out-the-vote rally and worship service in North Philadelphia

The speakers who gathered in the back office before Sunday’s service at Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia were all local, and they had more than worship on their agenda.

With just over a week to go before Election Day, the Rev. Darron D. McKinney, the progressive activist pastor at Bright Hope, invited Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and City Commissioner Omar Sabir to address his congregation about the importance of voting, especially in this year’s electrified election.

McKinney was to speak about the voting responsibilities of Philadelphians of faith. Krasner was to address voter safety and the rule of law. Sabir was to talk about the city’s record on free and fair elections.

And to bring it all home, McKinney invited the Rev. Al Sharpton, a friend and colleague, to swing down from New York and do his thing. And Sharpton did not disappoint.

After sweeping into the back office, greeting old friends, and cracking a few jokes, Sharpton closed out the two-hour service with a rousing call to voting action that left many of the 500 attendees — and maybe those watching on social media, too — on their feet, singing, cheering, and clapping.

“I’m not going to tell you who to vote for,” Sharpton said during a spirited 45-minute address. “But I am going to tell you to vote for yourself.”

Of course, Sharpton made it crystal clear for whom he wanted folks to vote. A staple on TV as an opinionated host and political analyst, the 68-year-old is the founder of the National Action Network and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004.

And while he railed against Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, and Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Sharpton continually returned to his theme of vote, vote, vote, and get others to vote, too.

“You can be bipartisan, but you can’t be bi-interest,” he said. “We have interest, and we must vote about it.”

Sharpton chided Philadelphians for paying more attention to the World Series than the election and noted that he had arrived long before former President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to stump for Oz in Western Pennsylvania on Saturday. He reminded the crowd of the sacrifices made by those who marched, suffered and died years ago to gain the vote for Black people, and said: “They laid down so you could stand up.”

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Sajda “Purple” Blackwell, a longtime community activist, said Sharpton was clear that “it is time to use our voting power.”

Before Sharpton arrived from New York, McKinney, Krasner, and Sabir spoke their points of view in the back office. McKinney said it was his role to keep his church members and the community at large attuned to the importance of this election.

“Philadelphia is going to be the road that leads to the Senate as well as Harrisburg,” he said.

Krasner guaranteed the safety of all votes, voters, poll workers, and election officials, and said he has handcuffs, jail cells, and Philadelphia juries ready for anyone who breaks an election law. Sabir attested to the security and accuracy of the city’s elections and invited everyone to become more involved in the process.

“We want to encourage all eligible Philadelphians to stand up and vote,” Sabir said. All three also spoke to the crowd.

Near the end of the service, after he read Scripture and talked at length about Moses and the trials that earlier American activists and civil rights leaders had endured, Sharpton said: “We’ve got one more river to cross.”

The crowd erupted. “He did a wonderful job,” said George Holley, a North Philadelphia resident. “He came here at just the right time and talked about the Bible and what it means now about the vote. I hope people take heed to what he said.”