At the beginning of this presidential race, Bernie Sanders seemed like an underdog compared to Hillary Clinton who appeared to be the obvious front-runner. Bernie Sanders is 74 years old and currently a US Senator from Vermont. His idea of democratic socialism tends to frighten the US public. According to Sanders, democratic socialism "is having a government which represents all people, rather than just the wealthiest people, which is most often the case right now in this country.” He also stands out from the rest of the candidates because he did not seek funding from PACs (political action committees) and relies on donations for his campaign. Political action committees wield great influence over elections. Now, he has raised $26 million from donations by various labor unions including Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union and the American Federation of Teachers. This campaign has exceeded Barack Obama’s pace of fundraising in 2008. The following stances are key to him because he has made a point to discuss it in the democratic debates and has even meet with leaders from the black lives movement for discussions and plans to implement change. Here's why I believe Sanders is the best candidate for president:

1. Black Lives Matter

As an African American, this movement is of the utmost importance to me. Senator Sanders is truly passionate about helping African Americans, and this is not a new passion of his in order to account for more votes. Sanders participated in the iconic march on Washington in 1963 while he was an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago. Senator Sanders has also mentioned the importance of protecting African American lives in all of the democratic debates, more than the other candidates. When asked if black lives matter, Senator Sanders stated: “Black lives matter. And the reason those words matter is the African American community that on any given day some innocent person like Sandra Bland can get into a car, and then three days later she’s going to end up in jail, or their kids are going to get shot. We need to combat institutional racism from top to bottom, and we need major, major reforms in a broken criminal justice system.” He plans on demilitarizing the police so they do not resemble an invading army, creating a police culture that allows a good officer to record the actions of a bad officer, require officers to wear body cameras, and implement new rules on how officers use force.

2. College Affordability

Bernie Sanders is passionate about making public universities tuition free, which would mean more qualified students would be able to seek higher education and help change the world. His plan is outlined in the College for All Act where the federal government would cover 67% of this cost, while the states would be responsible for the remaining 33% of the cost. I have met incredibly bright students who deserve higher education, but are unable to afford this luxury/necessity. If Sanders is elected, we will see more young people attend universities and be able to follow their passions.

3. Criminal Justice Reform

Senator Sanders believes there needs to be major reforms in order to fix the broken criminal justice system. Truthfully, the US government spends $50 billion on the prison system. This country has more people incarcerated more than any other country in the world. Sanders believes reform needs to start with the inmates. We must begin to see them as human beings, and not see them merely as incarcerated people. Sanders stated that “We need to invest in drug courts and medical and mental health interventions for people with substance abuse problems, so that they do not end up in prison, they end up in treatment.” His legislation "will eliminate federal, state and local contracts for privately run prisons within 2 years. It will reinstate the federal parole system. It will increase oversight and eliminate the overcharging of prisoners by private companies for banking and other services. It will end the mandatory quota of immigrants detained."

4. Planned Parenthood

It is time for the public and government officials to recognize that Planned Parenthood is not merely providing abortions. This institution also provides STD and HIV testing and affordable health care for people who cannot afford it. Senator Sanders is passionate about not defunding planned parenthood. He stated “The current attempt to discredit Planned Parenthood is part of a long term smear campaign by people who want to deny women in this country the right to control their own bodies.” Sanders plans on expanding Planned Parenthood.

I truly believe Bernie Sanders is the best candidate for this presidential election. He genuinely cares for our country and recognizes that the U.S. is not the best country in the world, but has the potential to be and has a concrete plan to implement change.