In a conversation with Bill Maher on HBO's Real Time, hip hop artist and activist Talib Kweli defended the actions of the black women who have interrupted speeches being given by Democratic presidential aspirant Bernie Sanders, saying "The job of activism is not to be liked, not to be polite."
Pressed by host Maher that Sanders, due to his background in the civil rights movement, might be the wrong target Kweli said Sanders, "is somebody who -- just because someone has a record of civil rights doesn’t mean they are automatically entitled to the black vote.”
Mara Jacqueline Willaford and Marissa Johnson have come under attack from Sander's supporters and others for their less than polished address to the crowd in Seattle, accusing some in the audience of being racists. In a later interview, Johnson said she didn't "give a f*ck” if her Seattle appearance overshadowed her message, saying, “I feel good. I helped launch a national conversation around race and electoral politics and respectability that’s still going strong two days later. I could not be better.”
Kweli seconded her comments on forcing the conversation, saying, "The job of activism is not to be liked, not to be polite… Black women vote more than anybody in this country, and you have young black women who started Black Lives Matter and they are forcing this discussion.”
The hip hop artist also pointed out, "It's very possible to be progressive and have no understanding of racial issues."
Watch the video below from HBO's Real Time:
