The 2016 presidential race has been more heated and tumultuous than anyone expected, especially with the meteoric rise of democratic contender Bernie Sanders. What once seemed a pipe dream, the staunch support of his ever-growing legion of followers has propelled him to the front of the race, where he now competes directly with Hillary Clinton for a place as the 2016 Democratic Party presidential nominee. However, his authenticity as an advocate of the people has recently been thrown into question.
Proponents for Hillary Clinton have begun to question whether or not Sanders really did participate in the Civil Rights Movement, with some going even further and suggesting that Sanders has no interest in the rights and issues important to the black community at all. These accusations are, of course, baseless. Even a cursory glance into Sanders’ past reveals the lengths the presidential hopeful has gone to in defense of civil liberty and fair treatment for all.
Attending the University of Chicago from 1960 to 1964, Sanders found himself in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. As the president of the Congress for Racial Equality he endeavored to support equal rights, whatever it took, even if that meant going to jail. In amazing new archival footage from 1963, a 21-year-old Bernie Sanders can clearly be seen (albeit briefly) struggling with police officers during a protest in Englewood, on the southern side of the city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPYCeO0seLU
Local black families had come together to speak out against plans to construct a new school. This doesn’t seem like something worth boycotting, until learning the construction plans called for the entire school to be built from a collection of mobile homes strung together. Sanders joined with the protesters, and in a show of solidarity, was jailed for resisting arrest.
Not only has this video surfaced, but photographs showing Sanders participating in numerous protests during the civil rights movement have been confirmed as genuine by photographer Danny Lyon. With first-hand accounts now backed by video and photographic proof, Sanders’ history speaks for itself, and no amount of mud slinging can smother the man Bernie Sanders has become through his struggles against adversity.
Read more about the story of this remarkable footage.
Image via: Chicago Tribune
