Elections do have consequences and so do campaigns. In this case the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders carries more than just the promise of a political and economic revolution. His campaign so far bears more significance than the hope of a radical change on Wall Street and the offering of free tuition at public colleges. 

Sanders, the first Jew and Democratic socialist who has made it this far in the presidential primaries as a major candidate has proven to be a rarity in our state of politics today. His ability to appeal to diverse demographics that traditionally would stick with the typical mainstream candidates like Hillary Clinton is a plus. 

The most vivid example of this is The Arab American News endorsement of Sanders over Clinton before the March 8 primary in Michigan. The Dearborn newspaper run by Osama Siblani, its founder and editor, has been a voice for the Arab American community for decades. 

The paper has been a vocal platform for issues affecting that community and its driver Siblani doesn’t waste any time in taking on those who often misunderstand the work of the paper as an advocate for Arab American interests. 

That is why the newspaper’s backing of a Jewish candidate like Sanders signals a potential roadmap to enhance more collaborative dialogue between Jews and Arab Americans in Southeast Michigan, especially when the paper’s endorsement stated that on foreign policy, “Sanders has shown the most even handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” 

Consider this: On the night of the Michigan primary 80 percent of Democratic voters in Dearborn, the largest concentration of Arab Americans outside the Middle East, supported Sanders over Clinton. 

A recent poll conducted by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding revealed that among Muslims nationally, 27 percent favor Sanders for president, compared to 24 percent among Jews.

The Middle East question has weighed in heavily on the relationship between Jews and Arab Americans in the region, and sometimes the complexities of that question on the survival of Israel and Palestine make the relationship more complicated. But Sanders’ candidacy and his public support from The Arab American News presents an opportunity to open a new frontier of dialogue between these two communities. 

I’ve have had the privilege of occupying a front row seat for several years on the issues facing these two communities. I know Siblani as a caring and principled journalist and a genuine Arab American leader. In fact, when he was inducted in the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, I had no hesitation in writing one of the nomination letters making the case for his induction, only the second ethnic journalist (the first being Detroit Jewish News founding editor Philip Slomovitz) to be enshrined. 

His endorsement of Sanders, the Jewish presidential candidate, was genuine and must be seen as an avenue to have constructive engagement in our region. 

The storied Detroit Jewish News has always been a ready platform to engage in this new dialogue that the Sanders endorsement now creates. Arthur Horwitz, the leader of the Detroit Jewish News, has not only been a coalition builder but one whose understanding of the deeper issues affecting these two communities can help build serious bridges. 

The Sanders endorsement is more than just a historic footnote. 

I recall several years ago, Horwitz, myself and a few ethnic media leaders spent an entire afternoon at the West Bloomfield home of Siblani for lunch and spirited dialogue. We looked at each other beyond the public labels that often try to confine our possibilities. 

With reimagined engagement from the broader Arab American and Jewish communities, we can leverage the Sanders endorsement as a way to identify and advance initiatives that both communities can support and embrace in Michigan and nationally, regardless of deeply held and often opposing positions regarding the map of the Middle East. 

-Bankole Thompson is a columnist for The Detroit News where he writes about politics, culture and social issues.
He can be reached at:

bankole@bankolethompson.com