"While we believe the defeat of Donald Trump is important to the progress of the nation, it is simply not enough in Jackson," Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the 36-year-old mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, said in a statement. (Photo: Imani Khayyam)
Feb 27, 2020
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the 36-year-old mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president on Friday following a "people's caucus" in which Jackson residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Vermont senator over his 2020 Democratic rivals.
"Sen. Sanders has demonstrated consistency in his support of policies that align with the goals, concerns, and principles of our communities," said Lumumba, a progressive who was elected mayor in 2017 on a promise to make Jackson "the most radical city on the planet."
"I believe that an endorsement from myself should represent more than just my own personal thoughts, views, and opinions."
--Chokwe Antar Lumumba, mayor of Jackson, Mississippi"While we believe the defeat of Donald Trump is important to the progress of the nation, it is simply not enough in Jackson," Lumumba said in a statement. "We have to do more than just dismantle the world we don't want to live in. We have to create the world that we do want to live in."
Lumumba toldBuzzfeed that the purpose of the people's caucus was to give his Jackson constituents a voice in the presidential endorsement. The Mississippi Democratic primary contest is on March 10.
"I believe that an endorsement from myself should represent more than just my own personal thoughts, views, and opinions," said Lumumba. "It should be considerate of the people who are impacted by the policy, impacted by whatever relationship ensues from that individual if that relationship were to prevail."
"We decided that we'd have a people's caucus, which is consistent with our normal assemblies to discuss major issues in our city," Lumumba added. "Sanders rose to the top."
Sanders celebrated the endorsement in a statement, calling Lumumba a "strong advocate for progressive change."
"As someone who has spent his entire career fighting to restore power to the people, there is no one better to ensure the voices of all Jacksonians are included in our political process," said Sanders. "I am honored to receive this endorsement and look forward to working together as we build a movement all across this country for economic, racial, social, and environmental justice for all."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the 36-year-old mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president on Friday following a "people's caucus" in which Jackson residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Vermont senator over his 2020 Democratic rivals.
"Sen. Sanders has demonstrated consistency in his support of policies that align with the goals, concerns, and principles of our communities," said Lumumba, a progressive who was elected mayor in 2017 on a promise to make Jackson "the most radical city on the planet."
"I believe that an endorsement from myself should represent more than just my own personal thoughts, views, and opinions."
--Chokwe Antar Lumumba, mayor of Jackson, Mississippi"While we believe the defeat of Donald Trump is important to the progress of the nation, it is simply not enough in Jackson," Lumumba said in a statement. "We have to do more than just dismantle the world we don't want to live in. We have to create the world that we do want to live in."
Lumumba toldBuzzfeed that the purpose of the people's caucus was to give his Jackson constituents a voice in the presidential endorsement. The Mississippi Democratic primary contest is on March 10.
"I believe that an endorsement from myself should represent more than just my own personal thoughts, views, and opinions," said Lumumba. "It should be considerate of the people who are impacted by the policy, impacted by whatever relationship ensues from that individual if that relationship were to prevail."
"We decided that we'd have a people's caucus, which is consistent with our normal assemblies to discuss major issues in our city," Lumumba added. "Sanders rose to the top."
Sanders celebrated the endorsement in a statement, calling Lumumba a "strong advocate for progressive change."
"As someone who has spent his entire career fighting to restore power to the people, there is no one better to ensure the voices of all Jacksonians are included in our political process," said Sanders. "I am honored to receive this endorsement and look forward to working together as we build a movement all across this country for economic, racial, social, and environmental justice for all."
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the 36-year-old mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president on Friday following a "people's caucus" in which Jackson residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Vermont senator over his 2020 Democratic rivals.
"Sen. Sanders has demonstrated consistency in his support of policies that align with the goals, concerns, and principles of our communities," said Lumumba, a progressive who was elected mayor in 2017 on a promise to make Jackson "the most radical city on the planet."
"I believe that an endorsement from myself should represent more than just my own personal thoughts, views, and opinions."
--Chokwe Antar Lumumba, mayor of Jackson, Mississippi"While we believe the defeat of Donald Trump is important to the progress of the nation, it is simply not enough in Jackson," Lumumba said in a statement. "We have to do more than just dismantle the world we don't want to live in. We have to create the world that we do want to live in."
Lumumba toldBuzzfeed that the purpose of the people's caucus was to give his Jackson constituents a voice in the presidential endorsement. The Mississippi Democratic primary contest is on March 10.
"I believe that an endorsement from myself should represent more than just my own personal thoughts, views, and opinions," said Lumumba. "It should be considerate of the people who are impacted by the policy, impacted by whatever relationship ensues from that individual if that relationship were to prevail."
"We decided that we'd have a people's caucus, which is consistent with our normal assemblies to discuss major issues in our city," Lumumba added. "Sanders rose to the top."
Sanders celebrated the endorsement in a statement, calling Lumumba a "strong advocate for progressive change."
"As someone who has spent his entire career fighting to restore power to the people, there is no one better to ensure the voices of all Jacksonians are included in our political process," said Sanders. "I am honored to receive this endorsement and look forward to working together as we build a movement all across this country for economic, racial, social, and environmental justice for all."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.