“As some of you know, I was born in a far-away land called Brooklyn, New York. My father came to this country from Poland at the age of 17 without a penny in his pocket and without much of an education. My mother graduated from high school in New York City. My father worked for almost his entire life as a paint salesman and we lived with my brother in a small rent-controlled apartment. My mother’s dream was to move out of that three-room apartment into a home of our own. She died young and her dream was never fulfilled. As a kid I learned what lack of money means to a family, and I also never liked to see people without a lot of wealth put down or pushed around. That is why when I was elected Mayor and then went on to Congress I tried everyday to be a voice for people who did not have a voice.."
-Bernie
Sanders
As the child of
immigrants myself, I strongly believe that Bernie Sanders truly understands the plight of the poor, the immigrant and the
marginalized….categories in which black/brown people all too often occupy.
On Sunday, March 13th, I gathered with 10 other
Bernie Sanders supporters in the cozy living room of Jim and Shirley
Thompson. We were all joined in our
common passion for the Bernie Sanders campaign for president. We also joined in our common concern that this
once-in-a-lifetime candidate remains largely unknown, and under-appreciated,
amongst many black Democrats.
Many of the black Hillary voters that we have spoken to have
admitted to not knowing much about Senator Bernie Sanders, and stated that, for
that reason, they would probably be voting for Hillary.
Bernie has spent his whole life doing too much good to go
unknown during this critical election.
There are 50 year-old pictures of a young, unassuming Bernie
Sanders being arrested in Chicago for protesting the segregation of some
Chicago schools. Around the same time,
Sanders marched with Martin Luther King in the historic March on
Washington. During his time at
the University of Chicago, he was a leader of the Congress of Racial Equality,
a major civil rights group on campus, and organized many sit-ins. These events marked the beginning of Sanders’
tireless career as an activist and civil rights worker. It’s obvious that, at some point, he realized
he had to step into the political arena to affect more change, but I still wouldn’t
hesitate to define him as a civil/human rights activist first, and a politician
second.
Midpoint in his political career, and as the mayor of the very
white town of Burlington, Vermont, Bernie publicly supported Jesse Jackson’s
1988 presidential run…only one of a handful of politicians nationwide to do so. After being re-elected three times as Mayor
of Burlington, Bernie decided against going up for re-election in 1990, but
opted to run for Congress, thus beginning a subsequent 16-year career as a
Congressman in the House of Representatives.
Bernie has done so much over his lifetime as an activist and
politician, but what would he do as president?
He wants to make tuition in public colleges and universities free, as is
the successful model in many European countries. He understands the threat of climate change,
and wants to begin reversing it –now. He
believes access to healthcare is a right, again, as is the model in other
industrialized countries. And as it
applies to racial injustice and inequality, it is rare to hear a white, male
American politician speak such truths . During
a debate, Sanders posited with conviction that the Flint, Michigan water
contamination would never have gone on so long, had the neighborhood been
suburban and white. He has repeatedly
condemned the violence perpetrated against people of color at the hands of
police.
In contrast, it only takes a little surface scratching into
Hillary Clinton’s past, both far and recent, to reveal why she is simply
unacceptable for black and brown America.
During her early years in the political realm, she worked
for and supported the Barry Goldwater campaign, a politician who publicly
opposed the Civil Rights Act of the 1960’s. One can’t help but compare a young Hillary to
a young Bernie during that decade: Clinton working on Goldwater’s racist
campaign, compared to Bernie getting arrested and working on behalf of black
school children, fighting for an end to school segregation.
Former president and Hillary Clinton are both responsible
for the Mass Incarceration Bill of the 90’s, something that devastated the
lives of poor people of color in America by systematically incarcerating young
black/brown people, mostly males, for petty drug and crime offenses. The destructive effects of this “New Jim
Crow” resulted in a rare apology from Bill Clinton, during the summer of 2015,
for the devastating effects this anti-crime legislation had on the black
community. Hillary was finally forced to
address her role in this just last month, when confronted by a black lives
matter activist. Her response was that
“no one has asked her about it before.”
The activist was removed before she could answer. Hillary then turned to her (white)
supporters in the room and said, “now let’s get back to the real issues.”
These offenses, and so many more, have caused many democrats
to turn against her, vowing to not vote
at all if she wins the nomination, and fewer Democrats voting opens the
door to a Republican president. Recent studies have proven what Bernie
supporters already know: That Bernie has
a better chance of beating Trump than Hillary does, if he were to win the nomination. This is because Bernie Sanders’ record is
shockingly void of the stains of controversy and even criminal behavior that follows
Hillary Clinton everywhere she goes.
The Sanders campaign is quickly gaining momentum, uniting
masses of people around the nation who believe the America of our dreams is
possible. For me and the volunteers of
Black Roc for Bernie, Sanders is the best and obvious choice.
