Footage Surfaces Of Bernie Sanders' Arrest During 1963 Civil Rights Rally

Bernie Sanders is living proof that actions speak louder than words.

While a student at the University of Chicago in 1963, Sanders — then just 21 years old — attended a rally protesting racial segregation in Chicago public schools.

The rally, held in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, ended when police stormed the crowd and arrested activists for exercising their right to free speech. Sanders was among the students taken into police custody.

On Monday, production company Kartemquin Films released footage from the rally, explicitly showing the young Sanders' arrest — though they didn't know it at the time. It wasn't until Sanders himself confirmed the footage is of his arrest that people began to understand just how important this 50-year-old footage is.

In recent weeks, Sanders' political opponents have taken to accusing him of exaggerating his commitment to civil rights and racial equality.

What this footage does is prove even as a young adult, Sanders felt so passionately about promoting social justice that he was willing to risk his freedom to fight for it.

Words, they don't mean much; we're all capable of saying things without truly meaning them. But actions reveal a person's true intentions — and in this case, Sanders' actions as a young man prove he is, indeed, as passionate about equality and progress as he claims to be.

Citations: Man captured on film being arrested in 1963 protest is Sanders, his campaign says (Boston Globe)