Bernie Sanders spoke today in Baton Rouge, LA, at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference,the African American civil rights organization whose first president was Martin Luther King Jr.

Really amazing speech. Interesting that in the first part of his speech he makes the case that just before MLK's assassination economic issues were becoming the central focus of his advocacy.

Some excerpts, starting with the theme he wanted to address tonight:



The need to simultaneously address the structural and institutional racism which exists in this country, while at the same time we vigorously attack the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality which is making the very rich much richer while everyone else – especially the African-American community and working-class whites – are becoming poorer.

Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice. We know their names. Each of them died unarmed at the hands of police officers or in police custody. The chants are growing louder. People are angry. I am angry. And people have a right to be angry. Violence and brutality of any kind, particularly at the hands of law enforcement sworn to protect and serve our communities, is unacceptable and must not be tolerated.

I'd say Bernie got the memo:It's a very long speech but very much worth the read.