For several months, Killer Mike has publicly endorsed and made appearances with Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, claiming that of all the presidential hopefuls, it’s with Sanders that black community has the best chance to experience positive change. Sanders is looked as as the more radical of his most serious competitors Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley, in a recently published The Atlantic piece by widely renowned and heralded thinker and writer, Ta-Nehisi Coates–author of Between the World and Me–quite literally made a “Case for Reparations,” which goes directly against Sanders’ policy, and calls into question Mike’s support of the Vermont senator. Killer Mike defended his support in the following tweets:
I love the writings of @tanehisicoates. I am very curious why every one thinks his critique of Sanders of some kind of death nail.
— Killer Mike (@KillerMike) January 20, 2016
The truth of my support is this. I am pro Reparations for any people used and abused like Blacks have been here and other places. — Killer Mike (@KillerMike) January 20, 2016
I believe the Govt of this country will NEVER do this but if I can have a POTUS who will be open to a federal loan program to help
— Killer Mike (@KillerMike) January 20, 2016
Candidate that I think wud be most sensitive to the very accomplishable goal and the other things that can/will help Black people is Sanders — Killer Mike (@KillerMike) January 20, 2016
Apparently, this dialogue left Twitter and stepped into the realms of physical contact, as Coates later tweeted what sounds like confirmation that he and Killer Mike met, and later said he and the Atlanta rapper don’t have to agree on anything, a sentiment Killer Mike agreed with wholeheartedly.
Best thing to happen today was getting tell @KillerMike how much I loved his “Poppin Tags” verse.
— Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) January 20, 2016
For the record @KillerMike as sharp with the insights and the rhymes. Ain’t gotta agree on everything. Shouldn’t agree on everything.
— Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) January 20, 2016
At the least, back-and-forths like this one foster healthy environments for honest dialogues on several issues, including and especially race, and it would be a benefit if they happened more often. In Coates’ “Case for Reparations,” Coates leads with this straightforward statement, “Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.”