Bernie Sanders holds rally at Morehouse College

Bernie Sanders holds rally at Morehouse College

By Samuel Rusch, Kennesaw State University

ATLANTA, Ga. - Senator Bernie Sanders held a political campaign rally at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. on Tuesday, February 16 at 7 p.m. It was anticipated that Sanders would focus on issues facing African-American and black communities given the historic location of his rally; however, that was not the case. Addressing the audience as “my friends,” Sanders spoke with great emotion as he addressed the welfare of the United States, jobs and the U.S. criminal justice system.

The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is very close. With the African-American and black vote being incredibly sought after by Democrats, it’s notable to see how Bernie Sanders addresses issues of race and equality through his campaign rhetoric.

“People are working up to three jobs,” Sanders said, “in some cases, the entire family is working.” Emphasizing the need for a $15 an hour minimum wage, Sanders called the current minimum wage “a starving wage.”

Nearly 40 percent of Americans who receive hourly pay are working more than 40 hours per week, according to Sanders’ campaign website.

“Billionaires are buying elections,” Sanders said, “It’s a corrupt finance system.” Sanders promised to level the playing field for elected officials as he emphasized that every vote matters; not just the wealthy ones.

Sanders stressed that the U.S. must do away with the injustice of racial discrimination from police officers towards unarmed African-Americans.

“Police departments should reflect the communities that they serve,” Sanders said, “if an officer breaks the law, then they need to be handled accordingly.” Sanders also discussed how communities with a majority population of minorities face high levels of income inequality.

Sanders showed a heavy sense of disapproval towards the Walton family. The Walton’s collective value, mostly from their inheritance of Sam and Bud Walton’s success as the founders of Walmart, labels them as one of the wealthiest families in the world. Their estimated net worth is $144.7 billion, according to walmart1percent.org.

Addressing the issue that millions of Americans are living pay check to pay check, Sanders was furious at the amount of wealth the Walton family keeps to themselves. Sanders made it clear that the U.S. needs an economy that, “works for more than just the wealthy individuals.”

“Goldman Sacks and Wall Street have driven this economy into the ground,” Sanders said. Infuriated that these “Wall Street crooks” aren’t getting punished for their crimes when marijuana smokers are going to have a police record for life, Sanders said something must be done.

“At the federal level, possession of marijuana should not be a crime,” Sanders said. He also said Marijuana being labeled as a Schedule I drug is “pretty ridiculous.”

Sanders said that minimum jail and prison sentences are destabilizing the criminal justice system by averting judges from specifying punishment based on the unique circumstances of offenders. Sanders said that the U.S. has the highest number of incarcerated individuals out of any country in the world; an issue that he promised to resolve during his first term as president. Sanders also spoke about a need for prison reform to enable inmates to receive better education and job training skills to prepare them for a life on the outside.

“Why are we punishing people for getting a higher education,” Sanders said. Since a college education isn’t cheap, Sanders asked the audience, “How much college debt do you have?” Responses ranged from $20,000 to $100,000. Sanders said he wants students to be able to refinance their loans to lessen the burden of repaying them.

“Health care is a right,” Sanders said. The increasing cost of medication accounts for why 29 million Americans are uninsured, according to Sanders. Sanders concluded his rally by telling his supporters, “There is nothing that we cannot accomplish.”