The time is now!

Over 40 years have passed since that historic march for voting rights, but we are still fighting for our rights. Today, 1 in 1,000 black men and boys can expect to die as a result of police violence.

Black colleges are in a protracted legal battle with the state for insufficiently funding our schools while funding other traditional state schools that duplicated our programs, right in my home state, Maryland.

We have a long way to go in addressing the issues of gender inequality, global warming and reproductive freedom. Important things like reversing Donny’s corporate tax breaks and adopting policies that enact equal pay for women in the workplace are essential to the progression of this nation.

Marijuana arrests account for more than half of drug arrests in the United States. Of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% happened for simply possessing marijuana. Research exposes significant racial bias nationwide. Despite roughly equal usage rates, Blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana.

We have to stop thinking about racism simply as someone who says the N-word or does something obvious or violent. Our country is in desperate need of great leadership that understands the systematic struggles. We need a candidate that intrinsically meets every single point on our agenda.

The time is now!

The first thing I did when writing this endorsement was looking up the word endorsement. “ An act of giving one’s public approval or support to someone or something.“ Act: taking action. Public: of or concerning the people as a whole. Support: to bear all or part of the weight of.

We need an all hands on deck, LOUD and unprecedented grassroots movement to further secure our future, our children’s future and our children’s children’s future. We desperately need new anti-racist policy agenda in the White House and change on the issues affecting our daily lives and our communities.

THE TIME IS NOW!

That’s why the HBCU Buzz team and I are endorsing Senator, Bernie Sanders for president.

Bernie’s plan addresses the five central types of violence waged against black, brown and indigenous Americans to tackle physical, political, legal, economic and environmental injustices.

Bernie’s long history of fighting for social equality the and rights of African Americans isn’t new. His record goes back to the early 1960s.(YES, around the same time my mother was born, 60years ago) Keep in mind, he was arrested in college as a student leader protesting institutional segregation and racial disparities; “disparity within the disparity”.

Bernie vowed to strengthen and support our historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) by investing $10 billion to create and expand HBCU medical, dental, and teacher training graduate programs at HBCUs. He will fight to cancel 100% of institutional HBCU loan debt from the Capital Financing Program. Bernie’s plans for tuition-free colleges and canceling student debt would lift a burden off the shoulders of millions of working-class families. He is also a cosponsor of S.461, the HBCU PARTNERS Act.

Bernie pledged to legalize marijuana in the first 100 days with executive action, vacate and expunge all past marijuana-related convictions, and ensure that revenue from legal marijuana is reinvested in communities that were hit hardest by the War on Drugs.

Bernie believes healthcare is a human right, not a political matter.

Bernie wants to adopt Equal Pay for Equal Work through the Paycheck Fairness Act and fully fund Planned Parenthood, Title X, and other initiatives that protect women’s health, access to contraception, and the availability of a safe and legal abortion.

Bernie is radical, realistic, and the best candidate for the myriad of ethnic backgrounds, economic differences, and political perspectives that make America what it is. If you DO YOUR RESEARCH, you will learn that Bernie in the White House benefits all Americans and his agenda has a little something for everyone. As a Black man, entrepreneur, son of Africa and an HBCU graduate, there is a strong alignment with my stance and his plans as president.