It was almost one year ago that I heard the name “Bernie Sanders” for the first time. As soon as I was introduced to him, I started seeing his name everywhere. I began to learn what he was about and the more I learned the more I was convinced this man was a Godsend. “Finally, a politician who actually knows what he’s talking about,” I thought. And I’ll admit, I did go through a period of questioning how popular he’d be amongst the American people, and how successful his campaign would actually be. But, my doubt turned into hope which soon turned into a great passion.
“If you’re a feminist, why do you support Bernie Sanders rather than Hillary Clinton?” is a question I get asked a lot. I can still be a feminist and support Bernie Sanders and here’s why: Bernie Sanders advocates for all working people, which includes women. He advocates working people who are earning wages that force them to live in poverty, which includes women. He advocates for racial justice and an end to prejudice, which affects women as much as it affects men, if not more. Bernie believes that the United States should follow other countries’ lead and grant all new parents a paid-leave. Essentially, I can still be a feminist and support Bernie Sanders because Bernie Sanders is fighting for women too. Even though I haven’t seen or heard any video recording or anything of Bernie claiming he’s a feminist, his values and ideals say it for him. Loud and clear.
When I learned that Bernie Sanders had been an active member in local and state politics for about 30 years or so, I did not once question his qualifications. I learned that he marched with Martin Luther King Jr., which I found to be particularly powerful in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. And then a picture and video began circulating the media of a young, 22-year-old Bernie Sanders being arrested for protesting his university’s segregated housing. In these moments, I realized that Bernie Sanders didn’t just talk the talk. He walked the walk too. Everything he was saying at his rallies and on national television were things he actually, truly believes need to happen. I was and still am convinced that if Bernie Sanders ever became president, he would do the best job in representing ALL people, not just some.
However, in the wake of recent events like the California primary, things are not looking up (but they’re not looking down either). Secretary Clinton is securing enough delegates to be the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. This November I will vote democratic NO MATTER WHAT (and I encourage all Bernie supporters to do the same whether you’re “Bernie or Bust” or not); even if that means voting for Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton’s history of consistently changing her political stance on issues such as civil rights and marriage equality have lead me to be a little bit skeptical of her. She voted against the civil rights act, she wasn’t in favor of marriage equality until it became a more pressing issue, and it pains me to say this: she voted in favor of the Iraq war. These are all truths that have led me to question her credibility as a politician.
Like her views have changed on marriage equality, the Clinton campaign has slowly been adopting some of the same values as the Sanders campaign. For example, the strengthening of Social Security benefits. Whether or not this is to gain votes or not, is not for me to decide. What I do have to decide is, do I trust her enough to vote for her come November?
Hillary supporters would LOVE to see a woman president. I would too, I think the old white man in office is a tired concept and I congratulate President Obama on all of his success breaking that string of continuity. A lot of Hillary’s campaign is focused on having the first female president; but when I see women like Lena Dunham canvassing for Hillary like there’s no tomorrow, only one term comes to my mind. “White Feminism.” This type of feminism favors the experiences that White women have had to the experience of any other women (women of color, queer women, transgender women, etc.) and this what I see when I see Clinton campaign. As a young, Latina woman, I do no fit into that strict category and it makes me a little bit hesitant. Jada Pinkett Smith accurately articulated my worries into two sentences, “The only question I have been asking myself is if I’m supposed to vote for Hillary because she is a woman; will she take us to the mountaintop with her or will women of color once again be left out and left behind?”
Don’t get me wrong; since there’s never been a woman president before, sending the message to little girls across the nation that they too can become president one day is extremely important. And I most definitely understand the importance of the equal pay issue. If my parents are doing the same profession, it only makes sense that they should be getting paid the same amount of money. But when it’s mentioned that a woman gets .77 cents for every dollar a man earns, that .77 cents decreases when that woman becomes a woman of color. Women of color systematically make LESS money than white women AND white men for that matter. So when I see Hillary Clinton shattering ceilings for being the first woman in history to be nominated by a large party like the Democratic Party, I cannot help but question whether or not she will be the best advocate for me, a young Latina woman, and plenty of other women who don’t fall under the exclusive identity of a straight, cisgender, middle-class white woman.
Questioning politicians is important. Questioning the very systems that govern our society is important. But questioning does not mean "disagreeing" and it doesn’t mean "hating." I don’t “hate” Hillary Clinton. I don’t agree with some of the things she’s done in the past and I think she needs to extend the conversation of women and pay a little further to convince me fully that she will make a good president. That is her job as a politician and that job is becoming increasingly important as she’s the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. I, like many Bernie supporters, are tired of political robots. In order for her to get most, if not all of the democratic votes to take down “he-who-shall-not-be-named” in the Republican Party, it is crucial for Secretary Clinton to convince Bernie Sanders supporters that she is the best candidate in the race to beat the Republican nominee and that she will fight with them and for them.
