*So what does Black Lives Matter mean to Bernie Sanders?
Just ask Spike Lee, who broached the question to the Democratic presidential hopeful for an interview published Wednesday in The Hollywood Reporter. The pair met for the first time this week as Lee touched on a topics in the candid interview, ranging from gun violence and black voters to the GOP frontrunner, “entertainer” Donald Trump. Since endorsing Sanders in February, Lee has been a active supporter of the politician.
When asked outright about Black Lives Matter, Sanders emphasized the importance of the moving while detailing specifically giving his thoughts on the movement.
“What it means is that we are all sick and tired of seeing unarmed people shot by police officers,” Sanders told Lee. “That young people in African-American communities are harassed by police officers, where police departments are not there to be supportive but are in many cases oppressive, and that’s an issue that has to be addressed.”
Since its inception, Black Lives Matter has developed into a nationwide movement dedicated to its relentless fight to raise awareness around various issues, including those Sanders mentioned in his response. Despite solid support from some millennial Black Lives Matter members, the Vermont senator’s comments come as she struggles to gain support among older black voters, who are currently on board to vote for his opponent, Hillary Clinton.
As the interview continued, Sanders openly addressed the challenge of winning older black voters over while admitting he is “getting killed, frankly, not just with older African-Americans but also older whites, older Latinos.”
“It’s the weirdest thing in the world,” he told Lee. “And what really bothers me is I spent half my life in Congress helping to lead the effort for senior citizens… so we have a lot of work to do in terms of reaching out to seniors, not just African-Americans, but seniors all across the board. We’re figuring out how you get the message out there.”
Sander’s interview with Lee arrives just after his big win in Wisconsin on Tuesday while working to defeat Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. On the flip side, Trump’s rise continues in his campaign to becoming the become the
Republican nominee, despite uttering racist and xenophobic remarks frequently.
As for what they think of the headline-grabbing real estate mogul, Lee and Sanders were unified in their agreement that he is the “Frankenstein that the GOP has created.”
“There’s no question,” Sanders said. “The establishment Republicans are going nuts. And this could lead to a real dissolution of the Republican Party as we know it.”
Click here for Sanders’ entire Hollywood Reporter interview with Lee.
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