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Bernie Sanders on Civil Rights

Democratic primary challenger; Independent VT Senator; previously Representative (VT-At-Large)

 


Even prisoners should still have right to vote

Cowardly Republican governors are trying to suppress the vote. In Vermont our Constitution says that everybody can vote. I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy even for terrible people, because once you start chipping away, you're running down a slippery slope. When they get out of jail, they certainly should have the right to vote. But I do believe that even if they are in jail that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: 5 candidates back-to-back , Apr 22, 2019

Congressional representation for D.C. residents

I come from one of the smallest states in America. We have about 620,000 people in the beautiful state of Vermont. It would be a little bit hypocritical of me to suggest that Washington, D.C., should not become a state. I strongly support statehood for D.C. This is a political issue. People pay taxes. They live here. The size of this community is larger than some states. Why don't they have senators and a member in the House? The answer, not shockingly, is the Republicans kind of guess that this will be two Democratic senators, given the fact that the city consistently votes overwhelmingly Democratic. I hope that my Republican colleagues do the right thing. People here are entitled to representation in Washington.
Source: CNN Town Hall on 2020 Democratic presidential primary , Feb 25, 2019

Invest in distressed communities as "reparations"

There is legislation that I like, introduced by Congressman Jim Clyburn -- it's called the 10-20-30 legislation, which focuses federal resources in a very significant way on distressed communities, communities that have high levels of poverty. I think we have to do everything that we can to end institutional racism in this country. It is not acceptable to me that the rate of childhood poverty among the African American community is over 30 percent in this country, that African Americans die from cancer at higher rates than whites. We're going to do everything we can to put resources into distressed communities and improve lives for those people who have been hurt from the legacy of slavery.
Source: CNN Town Hall on 2020 Democratic presidential primary , Feb 25, 2019

Women's March: never again second-class citizens

Q: The president responded to the protesters who were marching yesterday against him [in nationwide "Women's March" rallies] and said basically "the election is over, why didn't you vote in the election?" It doesn't sound like he is listening to those voices.

SANDERS: Well, I have the feeling the vast majority of the people who protested did vote. Mr. Trump lost the popular vote by almost three million votes. But I think the point yesterday, at rallies all over this country, all over the world, what people were saying to Mr. Trump, women are not going backward. They are not going to become second-class citizens. Listen to the needs of women. Listen to the needs of the immigrant community. Listen to the needs of workers. Listen to what is going on with regard to climate change. Modify your positions. Let's work together to try to save this planet and protect the middle class.

Source: CBS Face the Nation 2017 interview by John Dickerson , Jan 22, 2017

DOMA was homophobic even in 1996

In 1996, Bill Clinton signed the homophobic Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Hillary Clinton defended that decision for years and was very late in getting on board with marriage equality. The Clinton administration, with Hillary's support, also pushed "welfare reform" and mass incarceration policies.

My disagreements with the Clintons' centrist approach were based not only on policy, as important as that was, but on politics--how you bring about real change in the country. What kind of party should the Democratic Party be? The Clintons, over the years, received huge campaign contributions and speaking fees from powerful financial interests and corporate America. Whether it was on the campaign trail or in their private lives, they spent an enormous amount of time raising money from the wealthy and the powerful. In fact, in some circles they became known as Clinton, Inc.

To me, a very basic political principle is that you cannot take on the establishment when you take their money.

Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p. 51 , Nov 15, 2016

Empower Native Americans to make up for abrogated treaties

Native Americans are the first Americans, yet they have for far too long been treated as third-class citizens--their needs are often ignored or dismissed. Time and time again, our Native American brothers and sisters have seen the federal government break solemn promises, abrogate treaties, and allow corporations to put profits ahead of the sovereign rights of tribal communities. Our treatment of Native Americans is a stain on our collective moral conscience.
Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p. 416-417 , Nov 15, 2016

Vermont implemented ENDA 22 years ago; so should feds

Q: Despite progress, we have a ways to go with regards to LGBTQ issues in the workplace.

A: Unfortunately many LGBTQ people still feel uncomfortable or even unsafe coming out in their workplaces. And they can't be blamed--they're paid less and have fewer employment opportunities than non-LGBTQ Americans. Bernie voted in favor of the Employment Discrimination Act in 2009 to prohibit workplace discrimination as a result of sexual orientation. He commended Pres. Obama last year after he prohibited discrimination against gay and transgender federal employees saying:

"We've got to end LGBT discrimination in the workplace. Vermont did this 22 years ago when it passed one of the first state laws in the country protecting lesbian and gay workers. Congress should have acted long ago, House Republicans won't even allow a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act [ENDA] that the Senate passed last year. That's why Pres. Obama's executive order is an important step in the right direction."

Source: 2016 grassroots campaign website FeelTheBern.org, "Issues" , Sep 5, 2015

Right to love each other, regardless of sexual orientation

Q: On same-sex marriage, you have been way out in front when it comes to the rights of same-sex couples. What about the idea of taking away the tax exemption from any organizations, including religious ones, that do not recognize same-sex marriage?

SANDERS: I don't know that I would go there. Now, you know, we have religious freedom. And I respect people who have different points of view. But my view is that people have a right to love each other, regardless of one's sexual orientation. I voted against the DOMA act, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, way back in 1996 that was signed by President Clinton, because I think, if people are in love, they should be able to get married in this country in 50 states in America. And I strongly support what the Supreme Court recently said.

Source: CNN SOTU 2015 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls , Jul 5, 2015

Voter ID laws marginalize communities of color

[On issues relevant to Latino voters], in addition to immigration reform, we must also pursue policies that empower minority communities. This must start with energizing Latinos all across the country to engage in the democratic process and by thwarting efforts to disenfranchise minority voters. Restricting access through draconian voter ID laws and shortening early voting periods are thinly-veiled efforts to marginalize communities of color, low income people and seniors. These policies must be combatted at both the state and federal levels.
Source: The Essential Bernie Sanders, by Jonathan Tasini, p. 99 , Jun 29, 2015

Remove Confederate flag from State Houses

In the last 60 years this country has made significant progress on civil rights. But clearly, the events [regarding the Confederate flag] remind us how far we yet have to go in order to create a non-racist society.

I do not live in South Carolina. But I do believe that the time is long overdue for the people of South Carolina to remove the Confederate flag from the state house grounds in Columbia.

That flag is a relic of our nation's stained racial history. It should come down. Frankly, the Confederate flag does not belong on state house grounds. It belongs in a museum.

Source: The Essential Bernie Sanders, by Jonathan Tasini, p.105-6 , Jun 25, 2015

Equal pay for equal work by women

Women workers today earn 78 percent of what their male counterparts make. We need pay equity in our country--equal pay for equal work.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website, BernieSanders.com , Mar 21, 2015

Bush’s tracking citizens’ phone call patterns is illegal

Sanders says the Administration’s plan to track the phone calling patterns of millions of American is illegal. The Bush plan has so angered Sanders that he’s joined a legal effort to prohibit this practice in the future. Sanders says, “This president cannot do whatever he wants whenever he wants to. That is illegal. That is unconstitutional to my mind - the idea that the government can tap people’s phones or get into their emails without a court warrant is clearly wrong and it is clearly illegal.”

Sanders says it’s important to conduct effective anti terrorism programs, but he says these programs must be conducted within the limits of the law. Sanders says, “We want a vigorous investigation of anybody that the government or the FBI believes is involved in terrorist activity. But you can’t just have a situation where the government can go after anybody for any reason without any probable cause, without going to getting a court warrant. I think that that is a very dangerous precedent.”

Source: Bob Kinzel series of interviews on Vermont Public Radio , Jun 5, 2006

Never accept racism, sexism, nor homophobia

It is vitally important to the future of this country and our state that we defeat the Republican agenda, and that we prevent the republicans from recapturing the Congress and taking the White House. That is enormously important. But it is even more important that we as progressives and as Vermonters hold on to that special vision that has propelled us forward for so many years.

A vision which says that we judge people not by their color, their gender, their sexual orientation, their nation of birth-- but by the quality of their character, and that we will never accept sexism, racism, or homophobia.

Source: Outsider in the House, by Bernie Sanders, p. 50 , Jun 17, 1997

Bernie Sanders on Black Lives Matter

End all forms of racial & sex discrimination in this country

Q: Confederate symbols are controversial right now. How should we deal with the Confederate flag and Confederate monuments? And how do we improve race relations?

SANDERS: You know, a lot about Donald Trump sickens me, but maybe at the top of the list is his very intentional effort to try to divide us up based on the color of our skin or where we were born or our religion or our sexual orientation, even our gender. As you know, before Trump became president, he was a leader of the so-called Birther movement. Remember that? This was a disgusting effort to try to delegitimize the first African-American president in the history of our country, Barack Obama. And clearly one of the main priorities of a Sanders administration is to do everything humanly possible to end racism in America, to end sexism in America, to end homophobia in America. As Dr. Martin Luther King reminded us, we judge people based on their character. And that is the goal of my administration.

Source: CNN S. C. Town Hall for 2020 Presidential primary , Feb 26, 2020

We have a racist society from top to bottom

We have a racist society from top to bottom impacting healthcare, housing, criminal justice, education, you name it. But in terms of criminal justice, what we have got to do is understand the system is broken, is racist. We invest in jobs and education, not more jails and incarceration. We end the war on drugs, which has disproportionately impacted African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. We end private prisons and detention centers in America.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH , Feb 7, 2020

Supports commission investigating reparations for slavery

At Al Sharpton's NAN convention, asked about a [slavery reparations] bill, Sanders told Sharpton that "if the House and Senate passed that bill, of course I would sign it."

Sanders had been less committed to the idea of reparations in the form of payment when asked about it on ABC's "The View." "I think that right now, our job is to address the crises facing the American people and our communities, and I think there are better ways to do that than just writing out a check," he said at the time.

Source: CNBC: 2019 National Action Network & 2020 Democratic primary , Apr 5, 2019

Deal with racial issues as part of health care reform

The infant mortality rate in black communities is more than double the rate for whites, and the death rates from cancer and many other diseases is far higher for blacks. Black women are more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy. When we talk about disparity, we are talking about the need for more black doctors, more black dentists, more black nurses, more black psychologists. We are talking about guaranteeing healthcare to all as a right but ending long-standing disparities.
Source: Speech transcript from National Action Network Convention , Apr 5, 2019

Supports reparations, but targeted to distressed communities

Q: Would you support a reparations plan?

Sanders: "Yeah--but not if it means just a cash payment or a check to families. I would not support that. I am sympathetic to an idea brought forth by Congressman Jim Clyburn. And he has what he calls a 10-20-30 plan, which says that 10 percent of federal resources should go to communities that have had 20 percent levels of poverty for 30 years. In other words, the most distressed communities in America."

Source: NPR Morning Edition, "Election 2020: Opening Arguments" , Mar 18, 2019

No ambiguity in condemning white supremacists

If we are going to expound the virtues of democracy and justice abroad, and be taken seriously, we need to practice those values here at home. That means continuing the struggle to end racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia here in the United States and making it clear that when people in America march on our streets as neo-nazis or white supremacists, we have no ambiguity in condemning everything they stand for. There are no two sides on that issue.
Source: Westminster College speech in Where We Go From Here, p. 93 , Sep 21, 2017

1960s U. Chicago Congress of Racial Equality member

Ironically, while I took interesting classes and spent long hours buried in the library stacks on campus, much of my learning during my years in Chicago took place off campus--through organizations that I joined and activities in which I participated. While at the university, I became a member of the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL), the Student Peace Union (SPU), and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

Through these organizations, I learned to look at politics in a new way. It wasn't just that racism, war, poverty, and other social evils must be opposed. It was that there was a cause-and-effect dynamic and an interconnectedness between all aspects of society. Things didn't just happen by accident. There was a relationship between wealth, power, and the perpetuation of capitalism.

Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p. 18 , Nov 15, 2016

What kind of response would happen if Flint MI were white?

Q [to Clinton]: On the Flint lead poisoning disaster, you have been critical of Gov. Rick Snyder, and how the state caused the lead poisoning problem, and has not acted fast enough to fix it. Would you as President order a federal response?

Hillary CLINTON: Absolutely. If Michigan won't do it, there have to be ways that we can begin to move, and then make them pay for it.

SANDERS: The Secretary described the situation appropriately. I did ask for the resignation of Governor Snyder because his irresponsibility was so outrageous. What we are talking about are children being poisoned. The idea that there has not been a dramatic response is beyond comprehension. When you have significant public health crisis, of course the federal government comes in. One wonders if this were a white suburban community what kind of response there would have been. Flint is a poor community. It is disproportionately African-American and minority. And what has happened there is absolutely unacceptable.

Source: MSNBC Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire , Feb 4, 2016

Combat institutional racism and reform justice system

Q: Do black lives matter, or do all lives matter?

A: Black lives matter. The African American community knows that on any given day some innocent person like Sandra Bland can get into a car, and three days later she's dead in jail. We need to combat institutional racism from top to bottom, and we need major reforms in a broken criminal justice system. I intend to make sure people have education and jobs rather than jail cells.

Source: 2015 CNN Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas , Oct 13, 2015

Black Lives Matter: deal with institutional racism

Q: At Netroots Nation, you had a confrontation with a Black Lives Matter--

SANDERS: No, I didn't have a confrontation. I was there to speak about immigration reform. And some people thought of disrupting the meeting. And the issue that they raised was, in fact, a very important issue, about Black Lives Matter, in this case of Sandra Bland, about black people getting yanked out of an automobile, thrown to the ground, and ended up dead three days later because of a minor traffic violation.

Q: Well, I guess there were some people who felt that you were being too dismissive of the protesters.

SANDERS: Well, I'm not dismissive. I've been involved in the Civil Rights movement all of my life. And I believe that we have to deal with this issue of institutional racism. But we have to deal with the reality that 50% of young black kids are unemployed. That we have massive poverty in the America, in our country, and we an unsustainable level of income and wealth inequality.

Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls , Jul 26, 2015

1964: civil rights activist in Congress on Racial Equality

I spent one year at Brooklyn College and 4 years at the University of Chicago, from which I graduated with a BA in 1964. I was not a good student. I learned a lot more from my out-of-class activities than I did through my formal studies. At the university I became a member of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), the Student Peace Union (SPU), and the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL). I participated in civil rights activities related to ending segregation in Chicago's school system and in housing, and I marched against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. I also worked, very briefly, for a trade union, the United Packinghouse Workers. At the end of my junior year I worked in a mental hospital in CA as part of a project for the American Friends Service Committee.
Source: Outsider in the House, by Bernie Sanders, p. 14 , Jun 17, 1997

Bernie Sanders on Voting Record

1983: Approved "Gay Rights Day" in Burlington Vermont

On LGBTQ rights, Sanders has touted his early moves in support of the gay rights movement. In 1983, as mayor of Burlington, he approved a resolution declaring "Gay Rights Day;" in 1993, he opposed the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy; and in 2000 he supported gay civil unions in Vermont. He opposes President Donald Trump's push to ban transgender people from the military, and laws that would block transgender people from using the bathrooms of their choice.
Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls , Feb 19, 2019

Constitutional Amendment for equal rights by gender.

Sanders co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment:

Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to equal rights for men and women. Summary: States that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Source: House Resolution Sponsorship 01-HJR40 on Mar 22, 2001

Rated 93% by the ACLU, indicating a pro-civil rights voting record.

Sanders scores 93% by the ACLU on civil rights issues

We work also to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including Native Americans and other people of color; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered people; women; mental-health patients; prisoners; people with disabilities; and the poor. If the rights of society’s most vulnerable members are denied, everybody’s rights are imperiled.

Our ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization`s preferred position.

Source: ACLU website 02n-ACLU on Dec 31, 2002

Rated 100% by the HRC, indicating a pro-gay-rights stance.

Sanders scores 100% by the HRC on gay rights

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2005-2006 HRC scores as follows:

About the HRC (from their website, www.hrc.org):

The Human Rights Campaign represents a grassroots force of more than 700,000 members and supporters nationwide. As the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, HRC envisions an America where GLBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

Ever since its founding in 1980, HRC has led the way in promoting fairness for GLBT Americans. HRC is a bipartisan organization that works to advance equality based on sexual orientation and gender expression and identity.

Source: HRC website 06n-HRC on Dec 31, 2006

Rated 97% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance.

Sanders scores 97% by the NAACP on affirmative action

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2005-2006 NAACP scores as follows:

About the NAACP (from their website, www.naacp.org):

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has worked over the years to support and promote our country`s civil rights agenda. Since its founding in 1909, the NAACP has worked tirelessly to end racial discrimination while also ensuring the political, social, and economic equality of all people. The Association will continue this mission through its policy initiatives and advocacy programs at the local, state, and national levels. From the ballot box to the classroom, the dedicated workers, organizers, and leaders who forged this great organization and maintain its status as a champion of social justice, fought long and hard to ensure that the voices of African Americans would be heard. For nearly one hundred years, it has been the talent and tenacity of NAACP members that has saved lives and changed many negative aspects of American society.

Source: NAACP website 06n-NAACP on Dec 31, 2006

Recognize Juneteenth as historical end of slavery.

Sanders co-sponsored recognizing Juneteenth as historical end of slavery

A resolution recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day and expressing that history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future.

Recognizes the historical significance to the nation, and supports the continued celebration, of Juneteenth Independence Day (June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free). Declares the sense of Congress that:

  1. history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future; and
  2. the celebration of the end of slavery is an important and enriching part of the history and heritage of the United States.
Legislative Outcome: House versions are H.CON.RES.155 and H.RES.1237; related Senate resolution S.RES.584 counts for sponsorship. Resolution agreed to in Senate, by Unanimous Consent.
Source: S.RES.584 08-SR584 on Jun 4, 2008

ENDA: prohibit employment discrimination for gays.

Sanders signed H.R.3017&S.1584

Prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity by covered entities (employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, or joint labor-management committees). Prohibits preferential treatment or quotas. Allows only disparate treatment claims. Prohibits related retaliation.

    Makes this Act inapplicable to:
  1. religious organizations; and
  2. the relationship between the United States and members of the Armed Forces.
Source: Employment Non-Discrimination Act 09-HR3017 on Jun 24, 2009

Prohibit sexual-identity discrimination at schools.

Sanders signed Student Non-Discrimination Act

Source: HR.998&S.555 11-S0555 on Mar 10, 2011

Endorsed as "preferred" by The Feminist Majority indicating pro-women's rights.

Sanders is endorsed by by the Feminist Majority on women's rights

The Feminist Majority endorses candidates for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. In addition to the stronger `endorsement,` the organization also determines `preferred` candidates in races where they do not endorse. Their mission statement:

`Our mission is to empower feminists, who are the majority, and to win equality for women at the decision-making tables of the state, nation, and the world. The Feminist Majority promotes non-discrimination on the basis of sex, race, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religion, ethnicity, age, marital status, nation of origin, size or disability. The purpose of Feminist Majority is to promote equality for women and men, non-violence, reproductive health, peace, social justice and economic development and to enhance feminist participation in public policy. Feminist Majority supports workers’ collective bargaining, pay equity, and end of sweatshops. We encourage programs directed at the preservation of the environment.`

Source: FeministMajority.org website 12-FemMaj on Oct 31, 2012

Enforce against wage discrimination based on gender.

Sanders co-sponsored Paycheck Fairness Act

    Congress finds the following:
  1. Women have entered the workforce in record numbers over the past 50 years.
  2. Despite the enactment of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, many women continue to earn significantly lower pay than men for equal work. These pay disparities exist in both the private and governmental sectors. In many instances, the pay disparities can only be due to continued intentional discrimination or the lingering effects of past discrimination.
  3. The existence of such pay disparities depresses the wages of working families who rely on the wages of all members of the family to make ends meet; and undermines women`s retirement security.
  4. Artificial barriers to the elimination of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex continue to exist decades after the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. These barriers have resulted because the Equal Pay Act has not worked as Congress originally intended.
  5. The Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have important and unique responsibilities to help ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.
  6. The Department of Labor is responsible for investigating and prosecuting equal pay violations, especially systemic violations, and in enforcing all of its mandates.
  7. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is the primary enforcement agency for claims made under the Equal Pay Act.
  8. With a stronger commitment [to enforcement], increased information on wage data and more effective remedies, women will be better able to recognize and enforce their rights.
  9. Certain employers have already made great strides in eradicating unfair pay disparities in the workplace and their achievements should be recognized.
Source: S.84&H.R.377 13-S0084 on Jan 23, 2013

Enforce against anti-gay discrimination in public schools.

Sanders co-sponsored Student Non-Discrimination Act

Congressional Summary: