The daughter of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who died after an NYPD officer placed him in an illegal chokehold, is voicing her support for Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.
In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Erica Garner said that she thought that Sanders was the candidate who could help achieve racial justice.
Eric Garner’s Mother Voices Support for Hillary Clinton
“Who will bring us closer to real safety, freedom and power?” she wrote. “…The answer is someone who started this work well before campaign season, who understands our deaths as tragedies—not political talking points—and someone who will speak out against the wars being waged against our community…Black Americans—all Americans—need a leader with a record that speaks for itself. And to me, it’s clear. Of all the presidential candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders is our strongest ally.”
Garner’s glowing endorsement contradicts her grandmother, Gwen Carr, who voiced her support for Hillary Clinton via a campaign email. Similarly, both Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, and Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, have endorsed Clinton.
Trayvon Martin’s Mother Endorses Hillary Clinton, Urges Mothers to Vote
Garner applauded Sanders for continually listening to the Black community and said that he has the potential to leave a lasting legacy on future African-Americans.
“We aren’t the first generation of Black Americans to rise up and demand our human right to life, and we won’t be the last,” she wrote. “But I know a better world is possible. I know that once we come together, we are powerful beyond imagination. Sen. Sanders knows this, too.”