After taking Bernie Sanders to a storied Atlanta soul food restaurant, rapper and activist Killer Mike delivered a stirring speech at the Democratic presidential candidate’s Atlanta rally.
Before the November 23 rally, the man whose government papers read "Michael Render" was spotted with Sanders at Atlanta’s renowned Busy Bee Cafe:
.@KillerMike and @BernieSanders sit down for a coke at Atlanta’s Busy Bee’s cafe pic.twitter.com/P3HtCwcTsu
— MaryAlice Parks (@maryaliceparks) November 23, 2015
Render’s speech, which you can see after the jump, touched on Atlanta’s storied racial justice history and criticized the routine campaign practice of preachers introducing political candidates:
If you’re from Atlanta, Georgia, you may be familiar with a young man who grew up not far from here. His name was Martin King. Now I know this is the part where usually, it’s a black minister in front of you and usually, you get all warm and cozy inside and usually, you hear about "I have a dream" and us holding hands and going for ice cream. That’s not why I’m here today. I’m not here to talk about benevolent politicians that are going to come and save the day for you. I’m not here to talk about a dream that we think is unobtainable so we settle for less. I’m not here to talk about a utopian society where everyone is forgiven and no one has to pay for past debts. I’m talking about, what I’m talking about today, is the Martin King post-the Washington march, the Martin King present the war on poverty, Martin King against the war machine that uses your sons and your nephews to go to other lands and murder. I’m talking about a revolutionary.
Render closed with a ringing endorsement:
I have said in many a rap, "I don’t trust the church or the government, a Democrat, Republican, a pope, a bishop or those other men." But after spending five hours tonight, after spending five hours with someone who has spent the last 50 years radically fighting for your rights and mine, I can tell you that am very proud tonight to announce the next president of the United States, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Later, Render posted a picture with Sanders, their hands making the symbol of Render’s acclaimed group Run the Jewels:
This isn’t Render’s first brush with politics. Not only did he publicly endorse Sanders in June, but he also staged a short and ultimately unsuccessful run for a Georgia state legislature seat.
Check out Killer Mike’s speech below.
(H/t VICE’s Noisey, The Huffington Post)