Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has canceled his scheduled campaign event in Charleston, SC this weekend and is urging his supporters to donate to the Emanuel AME Church.
In a statement, Sanders said, “The Charleston church killings are a tragic reminder of the ugly stain of racism that still taints our nation. This senseless violence fills me with outrage, disgust and a deep, deep sadness. The hateful killing of nine people praying inside a church is a horrific reminder that, while we have made significant progress in advancing civil rights in this country, we are far from eradicating racism. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and their congregation.”
Sanders also urged his supporters to donate to the Emanuel AME Church, which you can do here. Sen. Sanders has over 200,000 donors, so if every donor would give the church one dollar that would mean more than $200,000 to help them in their time of grief.
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The Sanders event has been postponed as now is not the time for presidential campaign politics. It is important that our nation take this time to grieve and heal, but to also ask why, and how we can take steps towards ridding ourselves of the dark cloud of racism that still hovers over our nation and society.
There will be time later for campaign rallies. The three emotions that that Senator described feeling disgust, outrage, and sadness are shared by most Americans today. There is an overwhelming sadness over the loss of innocent life. Disgust over the racist motivations behind the crime, and outrage over the act itself.
We all must come together to stand against racism, and reject the hate that fueled this monstrous crime.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
