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As about 600 people assembled to hear a speech by the Rev. Al Sharpton at Michigan State Universitys Wharton Center Feb. 26, several attendees noted, with a touch of regret, that they were missing the MSU- Minnesota basketball game.

Sharpton gave them reason to be happy with their choice, and not just because the Spartans lost that night. No Big 10 squad mixes defense with offense as deftly as Sharpton does all by himself.

Sharpton was the third in a triumvirate of civil rights speakers to visit MSU this month. U.S. Rep. John Lewis spoke Feb. 6 and actor-singer-activist Harry Belafonte spoke Feb. 12.

In a 45-minute talk, the veteran civil rights activist tossed into the air several familiar objections that have dogged him for years, flipping them into pointed rhetorical thrusts.

He wearily ticked off familiar charges that he and other activists rile up racial tensions and "hate America."

"The challenge of the 21st century is that we are still fighting racial disparities," he said, citing sharp inequalities in employment rates, education, health care and the criminal justice system.

"Those that raise it are not the ones that hate the country; theyre the ones that love the country," he said. "Those that want to leave the country the way it is I question whether they love the country."

The only way to honor the civil rights landmarks of previous generations, he said, is to "complete the journey."

"The fight today is on criminal justice, preserving voting and democratizing health care," he said. "The challenge is not just to recount and celebrate black history but to continue to make it."

The dense weave of offense and defense reached maximum tightness when Sharpton tried to explain why dead civil rights leaders like King are lionized, while living ones including, by implication, himself are not.

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Offense and defense