patrick.net

'Never saw him': Now Bernie Sanders is under attack for lack of civil rights record from congressman veteran of Freedom Rides and March in Washington

Civil rights leader John Lewis on Thursday dismissed Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' 1960s work on racial equality, saying, 'I never saw him. I never met him.'

The Georgia congressman — a stalwart of the Freedom Rides through the South, lunch counter sit-ins and the 1963 March on Washington — raised questions about Sanders' involvement in the movement when the Vermont senator was a college student.

Lewis has endorsed Sanders' chief rival, Hillary Clinton, and his comments come at a critical time as the two White House contenders focus on the upcoming primaries in Southern states with predominantly African-American Democratic voters.

He made the remarks at a Capitol Hill news conference where members of the Congressional Black Caucus' political action committee delivered a full-throated endorsement of Clinton.

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On his campaign website, Sanders says he has a 'long history of fighting for social equality and the rights of black Americans — a record that goes back to the early 1960s.'

While a student at the University of Chicago, Sanders was involved in the Congress on Racial Equality and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also was arrested while protesting segregation.

Race Pimp Scum.

Unasked: How many times Hillary was arrested for protesting anything?