It’s no secret that Bernie Sanders was arrested while protesting for the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1963. He has always been a true activist (see what we did there), and if being arrested for resisting arrest after being civilly disobedient doesn’t tout that, nothing else does.
Though many have talked about Sanders’ arrest, he hasn’t really brought it up himself. Being the progressive candidate that he is, the arrest has actually been a positive part of his past, evidence that he has always held the same beliefs as he does today.
The Chicago Tribune went through their archives and located the above photo from 1963. Bernie has since confirmed that he is the one depicted in the photo, hoodie and all. Tad Devine, Sanders’ senior campaign advisor, said that, “He looked at it — he actually has his student ID from the University of Chicago in his wallet — and he said, ‘Yes, that indeed is [me].’”
Since the arrest is actually positive, the disputes doubting whether or not his involvement in the movement is true has been one way his rivals have attempted to discredit him. John Lewis, Civil Rights legend, was endorsing Hillary Clinton when he said he “never saw” Sanders there. He later claimed that he did not mean to cast doubt over Sanders’ with the movement.
Another instance is when TIME reported that a photo depicting Bernie speaking at a rally was actually a photo of another student. The actual photographer and Sanders himself denied the allegations made by TIME, confirming that it was Bernie speaking in front of the crowd. It took TIME 3 months before they published a correction.
This most recent photo is perhaps the best and also the clearest in sending Bernie’s message to those who are doubtful of his activism.
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