Rev. Al Sharpton says America has made "enormous progress" on the civil rights front, but now is the time for the black community to get down to business to fulfill Dr. Martin Luther King's dream of fairness and equality.

He spoke today at the headquarters of New York-based 5W Public Relations as part of that firm's "speaker series."

Al Sharpton at 5W PR's offices today.

Sharpton, whom the New York Daily News dubbed the "most prominent civil rights activist in the nation," believes black leadership "must be held accountable" because the country now has two black governors (New York and Massachusetts), 40-plus Congressmen and Barack Obama soon to be in the White House.

That level of political clout is something the head of the National Action Network said he could never have even dreamed of as a child.

Sharpton, however, warned that the over-the-top expectations could doom Obama and must be tempered. He drew a parallel with David Dinkins, who was elected New York's first black Mayor in 1990.

Sharpton recalled the optimism and joy in New York's black community when Dinkins took office, promising a "gorgeous mosaic." That lofty image of harmony was gone in four years when Rudy Giuliani defeated Dinkins.

Sharpton also said blacks have made tremendous advances on the business front. Black men lead or have led corporate giants such as American Express, Time Warner and Merrill Lynch. "We really shouldn't talk about Merrill Lynch," he quipped, in reference to its ousted CEO Stan O'Neal.

There are black role models such as Tiger Woods, Oprah and Obama, but that doesn't account for much as long as unemployment in Harlem is double the level of jobless in white communities, he said. "It's time to create policies that help those on the bottom," said the reverend.

No ‘magic wand'

Obama does not have a "magic wand," continued Sharpton. It is "unrealistic" to expect that four years of an Obama Administration "can reverse the damage done during the last eight years," according to Sharpton. It will take a lot more than "a reporter throwing a shoe at the President to dig out of the mess," said the civil rights leader.

Sharpton, a supporter of affirmative action, says Obama's economic policies will lift all boats. The President-elect's call for national healthcare will put an end to the insurance gap between black and white people since "we all will have the same coverage."

Sharpton is a huge fan of "new media" and took time out for an interview with a blogger after the presentation.

Similarly, if the President-elect's program for rebuilding the U.S. infrastructure becomes a reality it will reduce the unemployment rate among blacks and Latinos.

The 54-year-old spoke about how cynicism in the hip-hop community contrasts sharply with older folks of the "We Shall Overcome" era.

Sharpton is a huge fan of "new media" and took time out for an interview with a blogger after the presentation.

In his early days, Sharpton went to great lengths to get the press interested in his work. "We would hope that AP or UPI would show up," he said.

"The Internet has created an entirely different world. It's a world of good," according to Sharpton. The downside of the Internet is the opportunity to get "misinformation" distributed on the web.

Sharpton advised the audience to pick coalition partners wisely. He recalled protesting the Navy firing range in Vieques, Puerto Rico. "Three Latino protesters got 30 days in jail. I got 90 days," he laughed.

One of his most upsetting experiences was a meeting eight months ago with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. That session was arranged by a go-between after Sharpton criticized Thomas on his syndicated radio program.

Sharpton said Thomas' world view is "absolutely antithetical" to my personal beliefs. He has never met anyone holding such completely opposing views to his own. Sharpton said he had more in common with former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, and "I left his office in handcuffs."