Why These Ferguson Activists Are Voting For Bernie Sanders [View all]

[Uncle Joe]

They say black voters must cut their Clinton loyalties if they want solutions to systemic racism.

ST. LOUIS -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) may be losing out to Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton with minority voters, but three Ferguson activists he invited to speak at an Illinois rally Friday say they're definitely "feeling the Bern."

Bruce Franks, the founder of 28 to Life, an organization that focuses on youth empowerment and police relations with communities, talked about losing his brother to gun violence at the packed rally inside Southern Illinois University Edwardsville basketball stadium.

“In 1991, my brother, Christopher Harris, was 9 years old when he was killed. He was used as a human shield," said the 31-year-old, before announcing his run for Missouri state representative of the 79th district.

“Senator Sanders knows that the root cause of violence is lack of jobs, education, and resources.”

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Cori Bush, another activist-turned politician, spoke at the rally about being tear-gassed in Ferguson and the importance of standing against social injustice.

“For some reason, my brown lips and my dark skin says that I must make less money than my counterparts and I don’t understand that,” said the single mother, ordained pastor and nurse, who is running as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate.

She wants to “eradicate the school-to-prison pipeline” and said that her platform echoes much of Sanders’.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ferguson-activists-bernie-sanders_us_56db23d0e4b03a405678da1d