I've been looking through all the threads to find someplace where I can say what I feel, and this looks like the best place.

It would be nice if I didn't feel the need to do this- but \a disclaimer\ my mother is latino, and my father is half black and half white. I am a very dark skinned person/woman with straight black hair. My dark skinned latino mother is probably more native american than spanish. I pass for black, mexican, indian, or some undefined exotic islander, but my surname is very "white". I identify as Mexican American and Black American and move in both communities pretty easily. I live in a huge multi-cultural metropolis and feel fortunate in that I have not experienced as much racism and disenfranchisement that many other dark skinned Americans experience. I think that a large part of my experience is because I am a woman and because I have straight hair (honestly) After finishing a 14 hour shift (spent on my feet the entire time) I slept for 6 hrs or so and awoke in time for lunch with my 6 year old. Now after looking at twitter, and watching videos, and reading the news online, I feel very hopeless regarding the prospects for the Sanders campaign. I am a committed Sanders supporter and have been doing all I can with donations, and networking, and also doing what I can to awaken people to Feel the Bern. So anyway the specifics of my current thoughts;

I watched The Iowa Concert and Rally from earlier today that is on youtube.

I watched and enjoyed some acoustic folk singers. I really enjoyed the "Sandrews sisters" rendition of "MIster Santa". It was a cool rewrite of the the lyrics. I hope someone posts a video of that song. And In between acts and speakers we hear "America", a song I love (along with the ad I do understand that it is Iowa and it is mostly white people and so therefore we have feel'good white nostalgia music through the speakers, and feel good music on stage. I think I may be downvoted for this, but in explanation I am not any kind of PC warrior. I don't care about micro aggressions or sjw whatever I may be brown but I am not an immigrant. My people were here before California was part of the union and in the midwest before the french territorties were part of the union. My ancestors tend to be brown and very much American, after 300 years of residency the "otherness' tag starts to wear thin. As I watched this Iowa concert rally this evening, in between all the white folk music, I saw two lone black faces behind the podium. They disappeared somewhere near the end as I watched in dismay after all the very white pop/folk music. Two lone and very dark skinned people in a sea of overwhelmingly white people. After a few white wonky folk acts, and the black twins acting as clown MCs we hear Foster the People and Vampire Weekend. Yes, I know my brother Cornell West was there...

This is an empathy thought experiment.

At about 2:07:00 on the video I linked of tonights rally the actor from Hunger Games comes out to speak.

Goodness bless him and I love that he is part of this movement.

Everything he says is fine and I appreciate his support. He obviously comes from working class roots and is speaking with conviction and sincerity.

But if I listen from my my black ears, and from the ears I imagine those two black people behind him have: The white actor explains that he is from Kentucky, from the working class; clerical workers, medical workers ect. I think of others with a dark skinned experienced and what they hear from this nice kid Hutcherson; He says; "I am from the south and my poor white folks from Kentucky have managed to have pretty good jobs." Watching this very well meaning actor speak for the Bernie cause perfectly epitomizes white privilege. I know I may get some blowblack for this volatile phrase. I do not believe that this young actor is trying to flaunt kentucky white privilege but if he had simply added to his remarks that we are also here for POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY and the UNEQUAL TREATMENT AND INCARCERATION of people of color, that would have made ALL THE DIFFERENCE in tone. (For the black and brown voters)

This is the key to winning dark skinned American voters- PLEASE include a big statement about police accountability and the shooting of unarmed people and the deaths of people in police custody being ignored, If Bernie or the speakers at his rallies would say these few sentences with a loud voice they could galvanize people.

I know that Bernie is mentioning the unequal incarceration of Black people in every stump speech, but he says it in a way that sounds like its just another thing amongst all the others. There is no emphasis.

If Bernie or Cornel or any of his guest speakers could add BIG emphasis to this issue I feel Bernie could win the votes of an entire community.

But he sidelines this immediate priority of most black folks. He sidelines it as one of many issues and once again the people of color are marginalized.

The issue of police brutality and the militarization of the police are not unpopular crusades. I don't understand why Bernie doesn't include a stronger more specific statement about black lives and police brutality at the end of every speech. It may be ALOT more important to black and brown skinned peopled, but progressive white people recognize what's going on too. It would make a huge difference in the interest he's getting from the black voters.

I know many people will think that what I am talking about is not a big deal. BUT Imagine being one of the few black people in the crowd and listening to all that twee white peoples music. Imagine if it was reversed. How alienated would you feel?

I MIGHT AS WELL ADD THIS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT

Another video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6nf6ofcWZ8
on MLK day. Sanders was in Birmingham.

I LOVE that Bernie spoke in Birmingham and I LOVE Bernie's record on social justice. I also LOVE his entire speech that day.

Bernie in Birmingham on MLK day and the last thing black people want to hear is that the LESSER courageous thing that MLK did was stand against bullets for their civil rights, but the MORE courageous thing he did was push for the rights of white folks too. Before anyone responds please watch the the Video from about 11:40 to 11:45. Of course I know that MLK was pushing against the vietnam war and working towards a message that was anti war and towards a true "liberation theology" message that could positively affect all races. But on MLK day in the south? In Bernie's speech he says that Martin Luthers KIng's REAL genius was when he GREW and GREW and became a GENIUS to understand that the plight of black folks wasn't the priority but when he included white folks- thats when he grew towards genius. While any of Bernie's sentiments may be true, these are not the issues that I am addressing. If anybody with ears to hear will listen, white or brown or black-
again start 11:43 of course taken out of context... but words and intonation have power, beyond the deeper context or subtext.

On MLK day in Birmingham, Sanders said to a crowd-

"THAT was his courage, Let us not forget what Dr King was doing when he was assassinated in Memphis TN-

he was not down there JUST to do a "QUOTE UN-QUOTE" civil rights demonstration; (Bernie said that with air quotes) he was there to stand with "our garbage workers"... ect

very important part of our country no doubt- garbage workers are valuable and intrinsic to our infrastructure.

But "quote un quote" air quotes about MLK not just being down there for a CIVIL RIGHTS DEMONSTRATION? (air quotes) Instead MLK's GENIUS was that he was down there for the garbage workers.

ON MLK day In Birmingham? really? cringe

At the time I was so excited that I watched the MLK Birmingham video and loved it and felt excited. I had asked my cousins and friends to tune in and I sent them links. I figured they would see what I see. The feedback I got back from them made me take a second look.

My cousins and seconds cousins in St Louis And New Orleans may not give Sanders a seconds chance. When a white dude talks in Birmingham on MLK day and uses airquotes to say "he (MLK)wasnt there to JUST to do a (quote unquote) civil rights demonstration. There may be no redemption in their minds.

Many of my friends and relations have told me how offended they were. And a lot have asked that I don't send them anything else about Bernie.

I wish Bernie and the people that advise him would get a clue.

Its the dark of morning and I don't expect many will even read my venting but

If by chance ANYONE who is close to his campaign reads this post with an open mind, please help Bernie to rethink some things that his campaign seems oblivious about.