ESSENCE.COM: There hasn't been mass mobilization around education in the African-American community. What do you think it's going to take to get there?
SHARPTON: Rallies like this, and the President using the bully pulpit. I don't think most people understand how bad it is. When we came out the White House, I can't tell you the amount of people who stopped me and said, "I didn't realize over 50 percent of Black kids were high school dropouts. How are they going to make it in a world where now you can't get a secure job at a factory?" I think part of the reason we have not had a sense of urgency is that there has not been a public alarm about the issue. It's kind of like with police brutality. We had the problem for a long time, but it took the film of Rodney King for people to understand how bad it was. I think first we need to make it clear that we are in a crisis.

ESSENCE.COM: You mentioned school vouchers, which a majority of African-Americans actually support. The argument being: why have all of our kids suffered in failing schools when you can give some of them a better opportunity?
SHARPTON: I understand the argument. I just think that the role of government is to ensure an equal quality education for everyone; not just some. When we say, "Why should everybody suffer"—who decides who the "somebodies" are that don't suffer? I think if private organizations and churches want to do that, fine. But I don't think government should be choosing between who should be saved and who isn't. They ought to be restructuring the old public school system to save everyone. I believe every child can learn if we innovate and figure out how to do that.

ESSENCE.COM: President Obama has proposed increased spending toward education as an investment for the future. But how much influence can he have at the federal level with regard to reforming the public school system?
SHARPTON: I think his plan is very promising, but like he said, it will not work unless it comes from the bottom up. It's got to be a connection between the White House and those on the ground. What the federal government can do, especially if there's a parent and community movement around it, is say to state governments and school boards that we will not put federal funding in an unequal situation. But there must be mobilization for that climate to exist.