Bernie Sanders' classmates say that isn't him in that civil rights photo


There is no denying that Bernie Sanders was an outspoken civil rights advocate when he was attending the University of Chicago in the early 1960s. What's less certain is if a photo of Sanders addressing other students at a sit-in he attended is actually a photo of Sanders and not someone else. In fact, a handful of alums who were Sanders' contemporaries in college have spoken out to claim that the man in the picture probably isn't Sanders at all, but instead another classmate, Bruce Rappaport, who died in 2006. Take a look:
"I can certainly recognize it as Bruce Rappaport, partly because of the curvature of his spine, and I see that tall thin look from the side," one classmate told Time. Another, Bruce Stark, who was roommates with Rappaport for two years and was his best man at his first wedding, insisted that, "The way he's holding the book there and his left hand — that was a Bruce gesture, and the hair." The archivist at the University of Chicago agrees, saying she believes the picture shows Rappaport, not Sanders. The school is continuing to look into the image in the hopes of making a more certain identification.
When shown the photo again on Thursday, the Vermont senator maintained that he believes it is him in the picture, although his campaign is also investigating further. While it's seemingly a small quibble — Sanders was at the sit-in, just maybe not in this exact photo — his campaign has used the image in promotional material on his website.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The marvelous powers of mucus
The Explainer It's snot just a pesky cold symptom
-
What to know about the 'no tax on tips' policy
The Explainer The new bill would make tip income exempt from federal income taxes
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study finds
Speed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain