Dear Bernie Sanders and his supporters,
This isn’t another article asking you to throw your hat in with Hillary. Or Jill Stein. Or Gary Johnson. Or any other politician, though I am hoping you aren’t involved with the Donald. This article is coming from someone who has supported Bernie since June 2015-- from a millennial that had never voted before or really had any political awareness whatsoever. I am someone who felt the Bern more intensely than any other political or religious feeling I’ve ever had before. And I am writing this article to thank all of you.
To Bernie, I want to thank you with every fiber of my so being for creating this revolution and for giving me a political environment in which I could have an active voice. I never felt like anyone was listening to me before, and at the protest march I attended, I met fellow activists who felt the same way. Your supporters were some of the most passionate and lovable people I’ve ever met. I remember one mother at the rally listening to the speaker, and then leaning over to her children and telling them that she is at the rally for them and their future. I was moved to tears. You provided hope for people you’ve never met and truly inspired people who would have otherwise accepted the status quo.
To be more specific, you provided this teacher with hope that college would someday be affordable for my future students, and that my loans wouldn’t destroy my ability to pursue happiness for the next fifteen years. You always stood on the right side of history, even if it was a harder choice than following the crowd. I can only hope that I can be the same caliber of person that you have been for your entire life. You are an inspiration and someone who is a role model for empathy and love.
In an interview back in December, Barbara Walters asked you what you would like to be remembered for, and you responded compassion. Of all the things you could have said, that was the most revolutionary. In a campaign season that is marred by hatred and division, you said you wanted to be remembered for the one thing that would create unity amongst all people, not just Democrats. You are the embodiment of this generation’s hope for the future, and I want to thank you for all of your hard work.
To #stillSanders supporters, thank you for your passion. For your enthusiasm. For your effort, your awareness, and your perseverance. This primary election season has not been easy by any means. But I am so proud of the movement we created. When I attended Bernie’s speech at University of Buffalo, I had never felt so surrounded by loving, happy people before. I talked with supporters that I had never met and we shared stories and memories like long lost friends. As we described together, every Bernie event we participated in was “like a giant love fest” and it was predominantly because of the supporters in attendance.
This year has been one of the most politically difficult ones in a long time, and despite all of the heartbreak and fury about the corrupt events that unfolded, the supporters I’ve met and haven’t met have continued to inspire me. Above all else, you have showed me that hope is the greatest motivator of all. You have proved that those who believe in and exemplify honesty and integrity never give up on the movements that matter to them. I am so proud to be a part of this movement and to be one of the #stillSanders supporters, and it is because of all of you that I am proud to have a Bernie 2016 sticker on my car (and laptop).
From one “BernieBro” to another, thank you. And to Bernie himself, you are my hero and inspiration. Thank you for everything you have done to change this world. You have taught me to never give up, and never settle for the same old, same old. You are never too old, too young, or too small to inspire change and hope.
Feeling the Bern, now and forever,
Emily Green
