Minneapolis feels the Bern

Thousands gather in Williams Arena to hear Senator Sanders and Representative Omar speak

By Sophie Tiahnybik

“You look beautiful tonight,” said Senator Bernie Sanders as he was welcomed onto the stage. For what felt like the largest crowd since Prince was touring, thousands of people gathered and roared for Bernie. Williams Arena was shaking with energy and pure excitement in the hours before and long after he left. Prior to his appearance, performances from artists Brother Ali and New Power Generation made the rally feel like the biggest rock artist was about to come on. With their open arms and their inspiring and powerful speeches,  campus core leader Sean Bearth, Senator Nina Turner, Keith Ellison, and U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar all endorsed Bernie and his message. 

Even though Bernie had just suffered a heart attack a few weeks prior, he seemed to be in his typical eccentric and loud character for the event. A diverse mix of people came from all over Minnesota, ranging in age, race, and class, which was a great representation of what Bernie’s movement really embodies. People came for all different reasons—whether it was to give support, to hear his message on important issues such as student debt or climate change, or to see how he will take on other Democratic candidates such as Warren and Biden. Rather than focusing too much on the logistics of his plan, Bernie spoke most on the rhetoric he wants to have for his movement: unity. He said the only way to defeat the Trump administration is to stay unified, claiming that through unity of this movement, these “radical” ideas are very possible.  “We are heading towards an oligarchic form of society, where a small amount of billionaires exercise enormous amounts of power—real change has never taken place from the top on down, it has always taken place from the bottom up,” Bernie explained. Moving the crowd into a roar, there was an overwhelming feeling of togetherness and power of the people, a testament to the future that Bernie and his supporters are working to build.