We felt the Bern at the Urbana Champaign primary party on Tuesday night
Community leaders, students, comedians and musicians came together to watch the primary results
Although Bernie Sanders ultimately lost Illinois to Clinton by a two per cent margin, Champaign county has made it clear they want Bernie Sanders for president. Sanders beat Clinton in Champaign by 65.1 percent to 34.6 percent. One major key in this victory was the involvement of young voters at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.
It is no surprise that Sanders has the support of the college students. Just this past Saturday, Sanders held a rally in Champaign speaking directly to thousands of students. The primary election results viewing party on Tuesday for Sanders was held in the Accord, a Champaign music venue and bar.
There were distinguished guests that spoke at the the event, including state representative Carol Ammons, who is the first African American women elected official in central Illinois. Each guest spoke about how Sanders has inspired them to continue the fight against injustice in Champaign. You can watch the livestream of their speeches here.
The crowd was lively as they shouted “BERNIE“ “BERNIE” and “Not for sale.” The topic of a revolution was definitely in the air and mentioned throughout the speeches.
Musicians Jorts, Withershins and Nick & The Nailed Its provided live music after the speakers as the viewers sipped on drinks and mingled. Images of Bernie flashed across the screen in tandem with their music. The artists incorporated parts of Bernie speaking his famous speech lines into the music. “The millionaires and billionaires,” “Take back our government and mobilize our people” were heard throughout their songs.
Overall, the primary watch party brought together all things Bernie incorporated into live music and drinks – if only the atmosphere had carried over into a Sanders win.