Bernie Sanders was asked by a prominent activist in the Black Lives Matter movement, what he would do about America's problem with what she called "structural racism" which I take to mean the systematic racist practices by certain key social institutions such as local police departments. Bernie was caught off guard at the crowded Phoenix convention hall that accommodated some 11,000 supporters. He received heckling from some of the activists. But I believe their mistrust is misguided. Here's why.
I believe that Bernie should be African-Americans number one choice for president in 2016 and one reason is, as one reporter points out, "In his remarks, Sanders made his case against wealth inequality, for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, for tuition-free universities and colleges and for generally getting more money to the working class." Sanders supported his economic populism by explaining it in the simplest language possible;
"My Republican friends think that the CEOs of large corporations are the job-creators," he said. "You know who the job creators are? You are the job creators. When working people have money in their pocket, they go out and they buy goods and they buy services, and when they do that, they create jobs. But when millions of people have nothing to spend, we're not creating the jobs that we need."
This was no routine display of one's Keynesian bona fides in order to impress smug intellectuals. I believe that Bernie gets it about the crisis faced by working families today and what needs to be done to address it. I believe that African-Americans would do well to support Sanders whose agenda is not only in their best interest but of the majority of those in the ninety nine percent. On the issue of civil rights and racism, I believe Bernie has earned the trust of those with abiding concerns on these matters and would actually do something to rectify the present egregious situation.
That African-Americans would do well economically under a Sanders Administration is clear to most people. But I also believe that he is the best candidate to understand what needs to be done about racism in America of all those running so far. Regarding the appalling tragedy in Charleston, SC, Sanders has recently said,
“The Charleston church killings are a tragic reminder of the ugly stain of racism that still taints our nation. This senseless violence fills me with outrage, disgust and a deep, deep sadness. The hateful killing of nine people praying inside a church is a horrific reminder that, while we have made significant progress in advancing civil rights in this country, we are far from eradicating racism. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and their congregation.”
Out of a solemn respect to the Charleston Black Community and to the Emanuel AME congregation Sanders postponed his campaign stop and instead has urged supporters to donate as much as possible to the Emanuel AME church to aid the grieving families of the victims in their time of need. This plea for solidarity, understanding and outreach to this grieving community was a noble gesture. I believe this goes beyond politics. Sanders seems to understand the bad state of race relations in America today and wants to contribute to the healing process.
Is there any other indication? Bernie's response to Tia Oso's question and the concerns of the protestors was this,
"Black people are dying in this country because we have a criminal justice system which is out of control, a system in which over 50% of young African American kids are unemployed. It is estimated that a black baby born today has a one in four chance of ending up in the criminal justice system.”
On the issue of police brutality, Sanders remarked;
“It is not acceptable to me that we have seen young black men walk down streets in this country be beaten and be killed unjustly — that is not acceptable. Most police officers — and I was a mayor for eight years — and I worked with police officers, it’s a tough job but most cops do it well. But when a police officer breaks the law, that officer must be held accountable.”
I believe that Sanders is more in touch with the Black Community than most white male politicians his age. Perhaps this says little for most people but as a socialist, Sanders has always seen racial injustice and disparities in America as important issues deserving of our utmost attention. He endorsed Jesse Jackson for president in 1988 when he was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont. He made an impassioned appeal on Jackson's behalf during a campaign stop that year in the state capitol and, in the words of Salon writer Matthew Pulver, "...deployed his white privilege to convince the whitest state in the union that Jesse Jackson should be president."
Sanders is virtual unknown to African-Americans due mostly to his political obscurity and his being from Vermont. But I believe he has shown great sensitivity of late on racial issues. Sanders is one of the few candidates to focus sharply on the issue of Black unemployment, particularly Black youth unemployment, which is over 21% even as the overall unemployment rate is about 5.3%! Sanders has introduced the Employ Young Americans Act recently in the US Senate to address this pressing problem.
As a socialist, Sanders best understands the plight of America's least advantaged. This is why I believe he is the very best candidate for African Americans in 2016.