Bernie Sanders is using the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in a new television ad to appeal to black voters in South Carolina.
The spot, which was released on Saturday, opens up with a quote from King: “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle,” then transitions to images of Sanders marching with African-Americans.
“He was there when Dr. King marched on Washington,” a narrator says. “Unafraid to challenge the status quo to end racial profiling, take on police misconduct and take down a system that profits from mass imprisonment.”
Sanders and Hillary Clinton continue to battle over the black vote in South Carolina, which will make up more than half of the voters in the state’s Democratic primary at the end of the month.
Both the Sanders and Clinton campaigns have been eager to announce surrogates and endorsements from a list of prominent African-Americans in that state: Clinton announced the backing of House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford while on the same day, state Rep. Cezar McKnight revealed his support for Sanders.
Last month, Sanders, along with former presidential candidate Martin O’Malley and African-American leaders in South Carolina, participated in a mile-long march to the statehouse on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Clinton also spoke at the event.