Congressman John James Slams Rev. Al Sharpton For Saying Michigan Has No Black Congress Members

Rev. Al Sharpton and U.S. Rep. John James

Republican U.S. Rep. John James, who is Black, ripped Rev. Al Sharpton, who said last week on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” that Michigan has no Black Congress member.

“Al, are you that blind? I’m here and I exist whether you like it or not," the two-term congressman posted on X last Wednesday, referring to MSNBC as MSDNC. "I went to war for the right to think for myself. You are not going to erase me because I don’t fit your bigoted idea of what a Black man is or has a right to be."

”I’m a West Point grad, Ranger-qualified Apache pilot, combat veteran, and businessman. I have one wife, two master’s degrees, three kids, and I am the Black congressman from Michigan. And yes, I am a Republican, not because the party’s perfect, but because it’s the platform that most aligns with the economic and moral values that my grandmama taught me.”

James is currently the only Black Congress member from Michigan. In the past,  Black members have included the late John Conyers, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, the late Barbara-Rose Collins and Brenda Lawrence. All were Democrats.

James was first elected to Congress in 2022. He is now running for governor.

Hey @TheRevAl & MSDNC — THE Black Congressman from Michigan here I’ve got a message and an invite: come to Detroit for a debate.

Let’s talk about how Democrat control has failed families in Detroit neighborhoods for the past six decades and how conservative principles can… pic.twitter.com/C7A24HePLX

— John James (@JohnJamesMI) October 2, 2025

Rev. Sharpton makes his remark at the 8 minute mark in the video below.