There is definitely something going on beneath the radar. Those seemingly apathetic, disaffected millennials are waking up politically, and on every issue they align perfectly with Bernie Sanders. They are a part of the massive Bernie crowds and meet-ups around the country.
There's one millennial group in particular that is warming up to Bernie and that is Black youth leaders and their followers.
In the last couple of weeks Bernie has received endorsements from 2 of the most influential black youth leaders in the US. Hip Hop is the cultural language used to spread the political message among black youth and Killer Mike and Lil B have both endorsed Bernie and are spreading out their message through their music and social networks.
From Lil B's wiki page:
Author
Takin’ Over by Imposing the Positive! is a book written by Brandon McCartney and published through Kele Publishing in 2009.[35] The book is a collection of and written in the form of e-mails and text messages, and is written in such a way that the author is e-mailing the reader. Subjects include positivity, optimism, and living what he calls a "Based Lifestyle".[36] The book was passed out in an unscripted NYU lecture on March 2012.[37] On March 30, 2013 McCartney announced that he was in the process of writing his second book.[38]
Motivational speaker
McCartney has given motivational lectures at several colleges, including MIT and Carnegie Mellon University.[39] They are generally focused around his personal experience in life and current events.[40] On May 28, 2015, the rapper gave at lecture at UCLA, where he touched on subjects like money, the media, technology, awareness, and love.[41]
Basedmoji and vegEMOJI apps
Lil B launched the "Basedmoji" app on January 16, 2015.[42][43] On January 17, 2015, Lil B released "vegEMOJI", in cooperation with vegan company "Follow Your Heart",[44][45][46] despite the fact that Lil B is not yet a vegan, he has stated that he is cutting down on his consumption of processed foods, and that he is "ashamed of eating meat".[45]
From Killer Mikes's wiki page:
Killer Mike is an outspoken social activist focusing on subjects including social equality, police brutality, and systemic racism.[23] His views are reflected in his music, as well as in interviews with the media. As a publicly viewed figure, Mike feels it is his responsibility to represent African-Americans: "I feel I have to be politically active and I have to be a credit to my race."[24] He has been vocal on the subject of police misconduct, his father being a former police officer. His anti-brutality sentiment can be found on the song "Reagan" from his album R.A.P. Music,[25] and the song "Early" on Run the Jewels 2.[26][27]
In response to the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown controversy in Ferguson, Missouri, Killer Mike said:
"I'm appalled that regular Americans are apathetic. I'm appalled that people choose to use the word 'thug' as a code word for 'n-----.' I'm appalled at everyday citizens... When will we, as an American constituency, tell our politicians enough's enough? Enough mayors supporting murderous police departments. Enough police chiefs having to give excuses for murderous police officers."[28]
In an op-ed published in Billboard magazine, Killer Mike stated that "there is no reason that Mike Brown and also Eric Garner are dead today -- except bad policing, excessive force and the hunt-and-capture-prey mentality many thrill-seeking cops have adapted."[29]
Killer Mike and El-P performed at The Ready Room in St. Louis on November 24, 2014, the same night that the Grand Jury verdict was announced stating that Darren Wilson would not be charged with a crime in the shooting of Michael Brown. Killer Mike opened the set, which began about two hours after the announcement was made, with a heartfelt speech.[30] Fan-shot footage of the speech later went viral.[31]
Commenting on the 2015 Baltimore riots related to the death of Freddie Gray, Killer Mike noted that he understood the frustrations leading to violent demonstrations, but encouraged protesters to use their energy to organize for lasting change. In a Billboard op-ed, Mike stated:
"For the people of Baltimore — I don’t criticize rioting because I understand it. But after the fires die down: organize, strategize and mobilize. Like Ferguson, you have an opportunity to start anew. I don’t have a solution because whoever’s there will have to come up with it. But we need community relations: riots are the language of the unheard."[32]
He made similar points in an interview with the Harvard Political Review: "Baltimore is an opportunity for us to do something different. As society, there’s a real opportunity to organize there, and if we do not take full advantage of the opportunity to organize, then the riots truly meant nothing."[33]
Killer Mike has given lectures about race relations in the United States at several American universities, including New York University[34] and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[35][36]
Both Killer Mike and Lil B are young , successful, articulate leaders and mentors to America's black youth and their influential voices are now speaking out to endorse Bernie Sanders. I can imagine that the youth are taking the conversations home to their families and especially to their social networks.
As Bernie's support grows exponentially and organically the millennials will be strong proponents.