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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to the 25th annual National Action Network convention in New York on April 14. | AP Photo Sanders jabs back at Clinton to African-American voters

A day after Hillary Clinton needled Bernie Sanders before an influential African-American advocacy group, the Vermont senator jabbed right back before the same audience Thursday, casting himself as someone who has stood up to every political interest he has faced throughout his career.

“I have a history of being blunt," Sanders began. "So let’s be blunt today. What blunt is being about is telling the truth in politics at a time when not a lot of truth is being told.”

During his 30-minute address to the convention of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, Sanders rattled off his experience and lifelong commitment to civil rights, reminding the crowd that he had participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, with an added emphasis on the last three words of the march's official name.

Sanders hit the usual points of his stump speech, railing against economic inequality, a "corrupt" campaign finance system, a "rigged" economy and a "broken" criminal-justice system, among others.

But Sanders also emphasized his longstanding commitment to the African-American community and to civil rights, as well as ensuring that everyone earns a living wage. "Not everyone agreed with me. My opponent did not think that was right, still doesn't," Sanders said, referring to Clinton not supporting a $15 federal minimum wage.

He made sure to note his past support of Jesse Jackson for the 1988 Democratic nomination, recalling, "That wasn't a popular thing to do."

"I had to take on the whole Democratic establishment in the state of Vermont. I stood up — I’ll never forget this — in a meeting in Burlington, Vermont, people turned their backs on me," he said. "That’s how much they disliked what I was doing. Jesse Jackson — Jesse, you win the state of Vermont? He won the state of Vermont. Wasn’t a popular thing to do."

Sanders then brought up the 1996 welfare reform bill championed by President Bill Clinton, calling it "an easy bill to be for, 'cause it scapegoated the poorest people in America."

"All of the ‘welfare queens,’ you remember that? Very easy bill to vote for. I didn’t vote for that bill, spoke out against that bill," he said.

At that point, as the speech drew to a close, Sanders delivered a brief aside about his opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“So what this campaign is about is whether go with the status quo, and by the way, I’ve known Hillary Clinton for 25 years, and I mean this very seriously, you all know that: She’s an extremely intelligent woman with a wonderful résumé, a whole lot of experience. I’ve known her, and we’ve been friends for 25 years. You know, in a campaign, things get heated. But I have a lot of respect for her," he said.

The campaign, he continued, is about "whether we bring people together to tell the people on top that they cannot have it all, that we’re not going to live in the nation where the top one-tenth of 1 percent now owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent."

"Here’s where it is," said Sanders, who has frequently criticized Clinton for her ties to large financial institutions, suggesting that she could not effectively take them on as president. "You elect me president, you’re gonna have a president who is prepared to take on the billionaire class, not take their money."