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Tagline: He’s paying attention to the concerns of black America now, as a presidential candidate. Back when he represented Vermont? Not so much, local activists say.

Back in 2006, the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, a Brattleboro-area civil rights organization, hosted a Candidate Night. The race for the open U.S. Senate seat between Bernie Sanders and Richard Tarrant, a Republican and one of the wealthiest people in the state, had grown increasingly acrimonious.
The audience of African-American activists and other Vermonters of color should have been a friendly one for the socialist congressman.

Instead, remembers Curtiss Reed Jr., the executive director of the group, it became something of a showdown. Sanders “was just really dismissive of anything that had to do with race and racism, saying that they didn’t have anything to do with the issues of income inequality,” Reed told The Daily Beast.

“He just always kept coming back to income inequality as a response, as if talking about income inequality would somehow make issues of racism go away.”

And since winning that race, Sanders’s approach toward Reed and his organization has been one of “benign neglect,” the activist added. “We are a major statewide organization. It would stand to reason that you would check in with your major constituents, but voters of color are simply not on his radar.”

“I think Bernie tends to run away from racial and ethnic issues,” said Vaughn Carney, a corporate lawyer and a leader in the state’s black community. Carney has voted for Sanders in every election but is backing Hillary Clinton this year.

“Racial profiling is a fact of life here. Vermont incarcerates black people at the fourth-highest rate in the U.S., but no one talks about that. I have been beating on that drum for a while now, and I hoped that Bernie would up that mantle, but he has not. He is like a lot of Vermonters who like to congratulate themselves on how progressive they are but sweep these issues under the rug.”

How did Sen. Leahy (democratic senator in Vermont) fare with black Vermonters?

Carney met with Vermont’s other senator, Patrick Leahy, as well as the state’s lone congressional representative about these concerns. Sanders’s office didn’t respond to his efforts, Carney said.

Other civil rights leaders said much the same—that Leahy seemed far more responsive than Sanders. “Overall we felt as though Sen. Leahy was interested in keeping informed on our issues,” said Reed, a compliment he did not pay to his other senator.

When the state was in danger of losing its charter to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Reed said he and others scrambled to keep it.

“We put out an all-points bulletin to our congressional delegation. Leahy responded and was instrumental in drawing attention to it. We got no response back from the other senator’s office, which was an indication that civil rights was not his top priority.”

Not all black Vermonters disapprove of his state record

“I am surprised he has not tapped into me as an African-American person to speak about his record here,” Brown said. “This is an area he could capitalize more on. We are all so proud of him.”

Shela Linton, an African-American supporter of Sanders from Brattleboro, said the senator deserves credit for his outreach to the black community, especially considering that they are just under 2 percent of the state’s population.

“You don’t know what you don’t know, and he hasn’t had to be accountable to communities of color before,” she said. And others say that if Sanders was quiet on the issues before, he is making up for it now with his frequent mentions of the unequal justice system at his rallies.

Source

I'm shocked that either candidate hasn't used his Vermont Senator record more (for or against). I was curious about his record with minorities in his state since he comes out saying that he's pro-civil/minority rights. He deeds would have backed it up. So what do you all think?

Also in the article:

(A spokesperson for the Sanders campaign did not respond to an emailed question about what Sanders specifically had done for the African-American community of Vermont.)

 

[soundscream]

That income inequality as the answer to racism, needs to disappear from his go to answers if he wants to make any real inroads.

 

[dave is ok]

I'm shocked that either candidate hasn't used his Vermont Senator record more (for or against).

There are like 1,000 black people in Vermont. Not a lot to go on.

 

[Clefargle]

That income inequality as the answer to racism, needs to disappear from his go to answers if he wants to make any real inroads.

That won't stop his supporters from parroting the idea. I made a thread about it and it seems to be a common theme in his camp that "a rising tide lifts all ships". Regardless of the evidence to the contrary.

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1185098&page=1

 

[Future]

Fits what I'd expect from Bernie. He sees big systematic issues with the country that doesn't revolve around racism. And he doesn't have the personality to just "make appearances" or pretend he is getting involved with things that really aren't priority like other politicians

That doesn't mean he doesn't believe in racism or that it's not important though. But it's interesting that Bernie gets flack from this considering his policies and speeches are about improving things across the country, and would help minorities. Especially those that suffer from income inequality.

Bernie could probably use a bit more tact with consoling various groups though

 

[The Lamonster]

he doesn't have the personality to just "make appearances" or pretend he is getting involved with things that really aren't priority like other politicians

Seems like you are just making excuses for him. Spending time on something, having face to face meetings, making speeches etc. are not just hollow gestures that politicians do to raise their poll numbers. It's an important part of the job and shows people where your priorities are.

 

[benicillin]

There are like 1,000 black people in Vermont. Not a lot to go on.

They make up about 1% of the population, so extremely small, but somewhere around 6,000 people. The state might not suffer from the kind of segregation and problems like that that show up elsewhere, and Vermont is a great state and Sanders is well-liked, but at the end of the day it's still America.

Regardless of whether you like Bernie as a candidate or not, he's evolved a lot over the course of his campaign on spotlighting the racial issues America faces, even if he falls back on income inequality often.

 

[Slayven]

To be fair there are like 2 black people in prison for every one that is out in the streets. Vermont has a horrific incarceration rate for black people even when compared to the National average

 

[Mael]

“Racial profiling is a fact of life here. Vermont incarcerates black people at the fourth-highest rate in the U.S., but no one talks about that. I have been beating on that drum for a while now, and I hoped that Bernie would up that mantle, but he has not. He is like a lot of Vermonters who like to congratulate themselves on how progressive they are but sweep these issues under the rug.”

If that's how Bernie "walked with MLK" Sanders has been treating the issue...
What reason is there to believe that he isn't saying things to be elected and then fall back on his tried and true method of not doing anything at all?

 

[soundscream]

That won't stop his supporters from parroting the idea. I made a thread about it and it seems to be a common theme in his camp that "a rising tide lifts all ships". Regardless of the evidence to the contrary.

http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1185098&page=1

I mean I make more annually then the average American household, and I still have run into issues with racism.

 

[dramatis]

There are like 1,000 black people in Vermont. Not a lot to go on.

That hardly stopped the other US Senator, Patrick Leahy, from being more responsive.

 

[Slayven]

If that's how Bernie "walked with MLK" Sanders has been treating the issue...
What reason is there to believe that he isn't saying things to be elected and then fall back on his tried and true method of not doing anything at all?

Like they say don't eat anybody's chittlins until you see how they keep their house

 

[rob305]

Hes done

 

[dave is ok]

To be fair there are like 2 black people in prison for every one that is out in the streets. Vermont has a horrific incarceration rate for black people even when compared to the National average

It's impressive that there is close to 20,000 black people in prison in Vermont when there is only around 2,000 people in Vermont prisons total.

The Department of Corrections passed a milestone this week as Vermont’s prison population dropped to its lowest point since 2002.

According to a population count as of Wednesday, the number of Vermonters in correctional facilities dropped to 1,892 – about 350 fewer inmates than there were at the peak in 2010, with 2,248 incarcerated.

 

[soundscream]

Like they say don't eat anybody's chittlins until you see how they keep their house

How bout we just stop eatin chittlins altogether.

 

[BronsonLee]

Hes done

I...don't think this'll sink him

 

[Jonm1010]

Can I ask a simple question I never see addressed in these type of threads that seem to revel in Bernie's poor perception compared to Hillary in the back community? What objectively speaking makes Hillary a better candidate for black people then Bernie?

Like can people offer me a set of concrete examples from each and explain why Hillary is clearly the better choice for minorities and specifically black people?

 

[Mammoth Jones]

To be fair we're invisible to everyone except when we're needed as a moral torch or a measuring stick to compare the plight of other oppressed groups in America. Until then we go back in our hole.

Not fair to single Sanders out for this. It transcends his campaign.

That income inequality as the answer to racism, needs to disappear from his go to answers if he wants to make any real inroads.

Not gonna happen. You see, Black people need to be told by well intentioned White people what the solutions to their problems are. And if Black people disagree then they obviously need to be condescendingly enlightened. Obviously.

Can I ask a simple question I never see addressed in these type of threads that seem to revel in Bernie's poor perception compared to Hillary in the back community? What objectively speaking makes Hillary a better candidate for black people then Bernie?

Like can people offer me a set of concrete examples from each and explain why Hillary is clearly the better choice for minorities and specifically black people?

No candidate is better or worse. Until one of them is willing to confront the legacy of white supremacy and its current implementation that still exists you ain't gonna have much of shit that's better for Black people.

On paper, sure. Looks great for us.

In reality, fuck no.

 

[soundscream]

To be fair we're invisible to everyone except when we're needed as a moral torch or a measuring stick to compare the plight of other oppressed groups in America. Until then we go back in our hole.

Not fair to single Sanders out for this. It transcends his campaign.

If he has been giving the same stock answer since 2006, then it seems more then fair to bring it up.

 

[Slayven]

If he has been giving the same stock answer since 2006, then it seems more then fair to bring it up.

And he keeps bringing up his record, receipts will be pulled

 

[neurosisxeno]

Like can people offer me a set of concrete examples from each and explain why Hillary is clearly the better choice for minorities and specifically black people?

Apparently it's that she doesn't draw a connection between Income Inequality and Poverty and increases in Crime\Incarceration Rates. Other than that I really haven't heard anything compelling that puts her above Sanders in terms of support for any minority population really.

EDIT: What's more, Sanders has a higher rating from the ACLU, NAACP, and HRC than Hillary Clinton does. Somehow all these advocacy groups keep supporting Clinton based on her record but ignoring the fact that they rate Sanders higher.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

If he has been giving the same stock answer since 2006, then it seems more then fair to bring it up.

I mean bring it up if you want just let's not pretend Black people are ONLY invisible to Sanders.

We invisible to everyone when and where it really counts.

 

[Transhuman]

That income inequality as the answer to racism, needs to disappear from his go to answers if he wants to make any real inroads.

Income equality: bad for minorities.

 

[Slayven]

I mean bring it up if you want just let's not pretend Black people are ONLY invisible to Sanders.

We invisible to everyone when and where it really counts.

Mississippi God-damn continues to be true as fuck

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Income equality: bad for minorities.

The fuck does this even mean? It's so general. You could achieve the same sentiment by saying

income inequality: bad

Being paid the same or more as a White person don't change racism. Don't deal with it either. Plenty of rich Black men been spat on and called nigger and beat by the police.

 

[Valhelm]

That income inequality as the answer to racism, needs to disappear from his go to answers if he wants to make any real inroads.

Income inequality alone will not end racism and white supremacy, but increasing black and Hispanic access to wealth will give them much more bargaining power in a system in which they currently have almost none. The oppression of black people is fundamentally tied to the oppression of the poor.

 

[soundscream]

I mean bring it up if you want just let's not pretend Black people are ONLY invisible to Sanders.

We invisible to everyone when and where it really counts.

Of course, but if he is running on starting a revolution he's going to need our support. And if his answer to systematic racism is income inequality he won't get the turnout he needs. He will get the vote if he wins the primary, but he will need every possible one to win.

 

[Slayven]

Income inequality alone will not end racism and white supremacy, but increasing black and Hispanic access to wealth will give them much more bargaining power in a system in which they currently have almost none. The oppression of black people is fundamentally tied to the oppression of the poor.

Except the motto of America is "I might be poor, but at least I ain't black"

 

[VendettaRed07]

Can I ask a simple question I never see addressed in these type of threads that seem to revel in Bernie's poor perception compared to Hillary in the back community? What objectively speaking makes Hillary a better candidate for black people then Bernie?

Like can people offer me a set of concrete examples from each and explain why Hillary is clearly the better choice for minorities and specifically black people?

Hillary is more or less the default candidate. It isn't so much as what she does better but that Bernie has not done enough or been attractive enough to black voters in order to get them to jump ship.

Most simply do not see Wall Street bankers or bought out politicians as being their great stumbling block. Look at Trump for example... If anything, his racism is a populist measure to appeal to conservatives. Campaign finance reform isn't going to make shitty racist republican policies go away. Its one of the few things they get on their own and not from the Koch Brothers. So Bernie diverting towards them on most issues doesn't cause the same sort of excitement amongst black voters as it does for the frustrated white middleclass youth.

Also what I've heard from black Hillary supporters is that while Bernie is a nice guy and ticks all the liberal boxes they don't believe in his strength or ability to get things done where as Hillary is a proven candidate and a fighter.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Except the motto of America is "I might be poor, but at least I ain't black"

This. Really this. You can be eating sammiches in your trailer and at LEAST you can drink budweiser while being thankful to God that you ain't Black.

 

[phanphare]

Except the motto of America is "I might be poor, but at least I ain't black"

by design to keep the poor divided. isn't that why Jim Crow started after the Civil War, to curb the populist movement that was brewing?

 

[soundscream]

Income inequality alone will not end racism and white supremacy, but increasing black and Hispanic access to wealth will give them much more bargaining power in a system in which they currently have almost none. The oppression of black people is fundamentally tied to the oppression of the poor.

Again my parents, brother and myself made well over the average Americans salary, and we have all run into issues stemming from systematic racism within the past decade.

 

[Transhuman]

The fuck does this even mean? It's so general. You could achieve the same sentiment by saying

income inequality: bad

Being paid the same or more as a White person don't change racism. Don't deal with it either. Plenty of rich Black men been spat on and called nigger and beat by the police.

You're right. Why hasn't Bernie Sanders solved institutional and cultural racism yet. He's had like, years.

 

[soundscream]

You're right. Why hasn't Bernie Sanders solved institutional and cultural racism yet. He's had like, years.

No one is expecting him to solve it, but handwaving it with income inequality kind of says he might not care about the modern problems black people face.

 

[Slayven]

by design to keep the poor divided. isn't that why Jim Crow started after the Civil War, to curb the populist movement that was brewing?

That shit was built into America wayyyyyy before Jim crow.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Income inequality alone will not end racism and white supremacy, but increasing black and Hispanic access to wealth will give them much more bargaining power in a system in which they currently have almost none. The oppression of black people is fundamentally tied to the oppression of the poor.

Giving Black people more income when 95% of businesses operating in Black communities aren't Black just means that money is going to go right back out the community as soon as it comes in. It changes nothing substantial.

I personally want to see more Black owned businesses in Black communities. That requires more than better income. It requires access to capital. Which gets limited by racism. I go to hoods and I rarely see a Black face that owns it. I see a bunch of people that can't stand me but will snatch my dollar quick (after following me around in the store).

And let's not even go into the housing market where some won't even show you a house in a "nice" neighborhood. Or like my parents when they were looking for their house they had the money and looked in a "nice" area and the guy flat out told them "Hey, I'll sell you the house but they will burn it down in less than a month..."

You're right. Why hasn't Bernie Sanders solved institutional and cultural racism yet. He's had like, years.

See, this is that condescending bullshit I was talking about....

I'm not saying Sanders should have solved racism. No one is saying that. What I'm saying is that his solution to racism, which conveniently points back to his main platform, isn't a solution for racism at all. It's a shitty dodge of the issues facing Blacks in America. We don't suffer what we do cause we don't have enough money...

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

You're right. Why hasn't Bernie Sanders solved institutional and cultural racism yet. He's had like, years.

The point being that he could at least listen to what actual black people have to say instead of repeating his same thing at them.

I never really appreciated just how distant and arrogant white people who say they care are about black issues are until I saw it myself in person over and over and over again.

 

[dave is ok]

No one is expecting him to solve it, but handwaving it with income inequality kind of says he might not care about the modern problems black people face.

What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

 

[Guevara]

I'm not a Bernie supporter but, at this point I feel like we should understand he's only got 1.5 issues: economic and (relatedly) income inequality.

Like: that's what you're going to get with him, for better or worse. Why act surprised?

 

[phanphare]

That shit was built into America wayyyyyy before Jim crow.

I understand that but didn't Jim Crow come about specifically after the Civil War as a way for the wealthy elite to keep all the poor and working people from uniting under a common cause?

 

[JustenP88]

What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

The point of an election isn't to compare candidates! Hillary isn't relevant to this discussion, as I understand it.

 

[Crimson_Gold]

What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

That's kinda the point. She can be elected and isn't promising to end a problem that she truly can't solve. Don't try to solve my problems with a fix that barely gets at the crux of the issues.

I understand that but didn't Jim Crow come about specifically after the Civil War as a way for the wealthy elite to keep all the poor and working people from uniting under a common cause?

Jim Crow just kept blacks from being free in anything other than name.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

The point being that he could at least listen to what actual black people have to say instead of repeating his same thing at them.

I never really appreciated just how distant and arrogant white people who say they care are about black issues are until I saw it myself in person over and over and over again.

I swear I'd like Sanders alot more if it wasn't for his supporters.

 

[soundscream]

What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

Acknowledging the issues are not simply a financial one.

 

[Slayven]

Giving Black people more income when 95% of businesses operating in Black communities aren't Black just means that money is going to go right back out the community as soon as it comes in. It changes nothing substantial.

I personally want to see more Black owned businesses in Black communities. That requires more than better income. It requires access to capital. Which gets limited by racism. I go to hoods and I rarely see a Black face that owns it. I see a bunch of people that can't stand me but will snatch my dollar quick (after following me around in the store).

And let's not even go into the housing market where some won't even show you a house in a "nice" neighborhood. Or like my parents when they were looking for their house they had the money and looked in a "nice" area and the guy flat out told them "Hey, I'll sell you the house but they will burn it down in less than a month..."

Not to mention black children being punished at a higher rate starting grade school, they try to criminalize us before we can write our names.

God forbid your name is De' Shawn on a job application

Or drive a nice car in the wrong neighborhood

 

[ivysaur12]

What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

I don't think she's actually better in terms of policy (in terms of what they've put out this campaign, they're pretty equal), but she doesn't talk about race and pivot back to Wall St. It's kind of this classical Marxist thinking where everything is viewed in a class lens, and she doesn't do that when she talks about race issues.

He's getting better at it, but still defaults back to Wall St. too much.

 

[Armaros]

What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

So Bernie and his supporters answer to his standing among AA is 'but Hillary?" ?

And that is going to get them to come over? While ignoring what they have to say about issues affecting AA?

 

[The Technomancer]

What is Hillary doing about it that Bernie isn't?

I never hear an answer to this, just some sidestep into 'electibility' and 'pie in the sky' shit.

I mean, among other things giving speeches like this that explicitly call out various ways in which racism brutally manifests probably helps

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/how-hillary-clinton-won-harlem.html

When she began discussing Flint, the white woman Establishment presidential candidate said, “It's a horrifying story, but what makes it even worse is that it's not a coincidence that this was allowed to happen in a largely black, largely poor community. Just ask yourself: Would this have ever occurred in a wealthy white suburb of Detroit? Absolutely not.”

"We still need to face the painful reality that African-Americans are nearly three times as likely as whites to be denied a mortgage."

That's not to say that Bernie doesn't care about these issues, because he does, but he needs to be more explicit about it and he needs to stop pivoting to Wall Street and bankers whenever he's asked about it

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Not to mention black children being punished at a higher rate starting grade school, they try to criminalize us before we can write our names.

God forbid your name is De' Shawn on a job application

Or drive a nice car in the wrong neighborhood

Or Blacks are more likely to be placed into special ed.

But yea, 10,000 more dollars a year will fix all that. We'll be respected then....

 

[Slayven]

I understand that but didn't Jim Crow come about specifically after the Civil War as a way for the wealthy elite to keep all the poor and working people from uniting under a common cause?

What the racist South and good chunk of the North was going to cast out generations of that shit just to stand with black people? Not in this universe's America