Bernie Sanders had a good weekend, picking up victories in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. But instead of basking in the glow of victory, people of color who support the Vermont Senator are lashing out on Twitter against media outlets they believe refuse to acknowledge they even exist.
It all started with this tweet.
@HillyesRose @MisaelFrancoO @TheBpDShow @cenkuygur I knew it. I knew if Bernie won Hawaii it would magically become a white state.
— L. (@leslieleeiii) March 27, 2016
Credit: @tokyovampires/Twitter
On Sunday, Leslie Lee III, an African-American English teacher from Louisiana currently living in Japan, tweeted his dissatisfaction with how the media portrays Bernie Sanders supporters as being white. He’s not entirely wrong. As the group Veterans for Bernie pointed out, CNN claimed that Sanders won Alaska because of its huge white population, this after that same news organizations wrote about Alaska’s diversity.
It’s not just CNN. This is an excerpt from a New York Times article about Sanders’s victories:
“Mr. Sanders won that precinct on Saturday, and many others. “I appreciate Bernie’s fervor and honesty,” said Ian Forrester, 25, a barista and rock musician who caucused for Mr. Sanders. “We’ve all seen the poor and the middle class suffer during this economic downfall, and we need someone who cares about them, not about corporations.”
A barista/musician living in Portland, Oreg., who also supports Bernie Sanders? Yeah, that dude sounds like a “Bernie Bro.”
And so #BernieMadeMeWhite, the perfect clapback response, was born.
.@HillyesRose @MisaelFrancoO @TheBpDShow @cenkuygur Ever since I voted for Bernie, I've been bingewatching Friends. #BernieMadeMeWhite
— L. (@leslieleeiii) March 27, 2016
Credit: @tokyovampires/ Twitter
But instead of accepting the alleged media narrative about Bernie Sanders supporters, Lee started a hashtag that not only makes fun of said narrative, but directly disproves it. #BernieMadeMeWhite became a way for people of color who support Sanders to make themselves known. Naturally, Latinos jumped on the hashtag.
A Chicano, Thai, and two Latinas just out here doing voter outreach, but you know #BernieMadeMeWhite… pic.twitter.com/ejjz5815Kv
— George (@GeorgeLA96) March 28, 2016
Credit: @GeorgeLA96/Twitter
Here I thought I was a queer Latino from Nicaragua, but I guess #BernieMadeMeWhite pic.twitter.com/y2Tl97QFnY
— Fernando Briceño (@eln1coya) March 27, 2016
Credit: @eln1coya/Twitter
Used to be @Latinos4Bernie but now #BernieMadeMeWhite so they are now white @Millenials4Bern ¯_(ツ)_/¯ @vivabernie pic.twitter.com/o0zaZ6xcHO
— Ricky Ly (@TastyChomps) March 27, 2016
Credit: @TastyChomps/Twitter
It wasn’t just Latinos. Other minorities who support Sanders stood up…
Ever since #BernieMadeMeWhite, our Sikh children stopped being bullied at school for looking different… pic.twitter.com/sgtTe1qgJh
— (((Simran J Singh))) (@SikhProf) March 28, 2016
Credit: @Sikhprof/Twitter
#BernieMadeMeWhite We are not invisible despite the media propaganda machine would have you believe pic.twitter.com/qGeuBKm2zD
— Nativespirit (@N8tive2spirit) March 28, 2016
@N8tive2spirit/Twitter
…Including (sorta) famous people.
https://twitter.com/lucasbros/status/714218466589286400
Credit: @lucasbros/Twitter
In case you’re trying to figure out why you recognize the Lucas brothers, they were the twins in “22 Jump Street.” You’re welcome.
Hillary Clinton Supporters, of course, chimed in.
Bernie Sanders has a serious problem with non-white voters. Numbers don't lie. #ImWithHer #berniemademewhite pic.twitter.com/lXSVB4Jm4o
— Mama Jones (@Mama_Jones2013) March 27, 2016
Credit: @Mama_Jones2013/Twitter
So who’s right?
Credit: @fidmart85/Instagram
Honestly? Both sides make valid points. On the one hand, claims made by people of color who support Bernie Sanders that they’re being ignored are very legitimate. We’ve repeatedly seen data that shows that Sanders does well among young Latinos, but the numbers don’t lie. Bernie Sanders has had trouble winning states with sizable minority communities, and that’s really the only thing that counts.
Register to vote today by downloading the Latinos Vote app for iOS and Android. Our voice matters. #WeAreAmerica
