Actor and director Spike Lee lent his voice to a radio campaign ad this week, throwing his support behind Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. This endorsement comes just before the Democratic South Carolina primary this weekend.
In a radio ad that will begin running on Tuesday in the state, Lee calls on South Carolinians to "Wake up" and vote for Sanders.
"I know and you know the system is rigged. For too long we've given our votes to corporate puppets," Lee says in the ad. "Ninety-nine percent of Americans were hurt in the Great Recession of 2008 and many are still recovering."
That's why, Lee tells listeners, he's voting for Sanders who "takes no money from corporations -- nada." Lee goes on to recount some of the times Sanders has shown his loyalty to the progression of social justice, "no flipping, no flopping."
"When Bernie gets into the White House he will do the right thing," Lee declares, referencing his 1989 film "Do the Right Thing."
Lee's recent film "Chi-raq," which was in cinemas this past December, explored race politics and the working class in Chicago.
According to the Hill, Sanders' campaign denied telling reporters how much money was spent on the ad.
Other influential African-American leaders and icons, like NAACP President Ben Jealous, Harry Belafonte, Cornel West and Ta-Nehisi Coates, have already publicly endorsed Sanders.
African-Americans, who will make up more than half of the South Carolina voters turning out for the Democratic primaries according to the Guardian, are a crucial demographic for Sanders' campaign.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated incorrectly that the film "Do The Right Thing" was released in 1998. It was released in 1989.
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