Just in www.nydailynews.com/…, former DKos front pager and a moral voice for #blacklivesmatters, Shaun King has just endorsed Bernie Sanders in his Daily News column:
As a general rule, I don't trust many politicians, but I trust Bernie Sanders — the man walks the walk and talks the talk. He is, without a doubt, the most consistent politician in America and has been fighting for universal health care, access to education, equal pay, equal rights and the complete overhaul of how we do justice in this country for his entire career. I dig it.
I dig it too. Thanks Shaun!
When women from the Black Lives Matter movement interrupted his campaign speeches and demanded he not only acknowledge state violence against black bodies, but that he also needed to have strong policy positions on the issue, I was all for it. At the time, thousands of liberal white folks were irritated to no end when they saw the demonstration.
Looking back on it, I truly think it was the most important moment of his campaign. He took the brave interruption to heart. Instead of simply saying "Black Lives Matter" here and there, he released the most comprehensive, thorough, specific plan of any candidate on either side to address police brutality, economic inequality, voting rights, education, health care, gun safety and more.
It shocked me, actually. I had grown used to politicians shrugging off the pain and pleas of black folks and just assuming we'd vote for them anyway. Bernie didn't do anything like that.
Like I suspect many of you, I think endorsements are a mixed bag, though I do think those with a moral rationale are more compelling, at least to read. In the case of Shaun’s endorsement, the reason I think it may resonate and influence some potential voters is that Shaun’s work influenced my views, and especially helped open my eyes to everything from my own privilege, to the fact that POC face brutality as a simple function of their color, no matter their demeanor or economic status. It took the pounding from Shaun for me be fully present to this reality that a black person could be wearing a suit and tie, and he’s still at serious risk of abuse by our law enforcement (R.I.P. Sandra Bland), much less by our institutional racism at large. So thank you Shaun; thanks for helping me to “get it.”
Now, instead of pasting too much of his moving and deeply-considered judgment here, I encourage you to give Shaun some well-earned clicks and read his entire thoughtful piece.