Ben Carson. Stephen A. Smith. Stacey Dash. Raven-Symone. In recent months, these are the names that come to mind when one hears the words “sellout” or “Uncle Tom”.

But wait….John Lewis????

The U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional district and veteran civil rights leader drew some serious backlash on social media yesterday, when he made a speech at an event of the Congressional Black Caucus endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.

Lewis stated that he never saw Bernie Sanders present in any of the events held by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), an organization that sponsored a number of key civil rights demonstrations including the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington.

“I never saw him. I never met him,” Lewis said about Sanders. “But I met Hillary Clinton. I met President (Bill) Clinton.”

Rep. Lewis’ claim that he “never saw” Sanders is confusing, since the men were active in different cities –Sanders was the chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in Chicago, while Lewis was chairman of the SNCC in Nashville—so it is unlikely that the two would have crossed paths during the early days of the movement.

There is considerable evidence of Sanders’ activism. He helped organize a 15-day sit-in to protest the discriminatory housing policies against Black students at the University of Chicago. He was also arrested for protesting the segregation of a school on Chicago’s South Side.

Lewis’ statements come at a crucial time for both candidates, who are actively lobbying for Black votes at a time when police brutality, economic disparity and environmental racism are at the forefront of most Black voters’ minds.

It would be unfair and disrespectful to imply that Lewis, a proven champion in the fight against institutionalized racism, is suddenly turning his back on the Black community in favor of a Clinton payout. He has made lifelong efforts in the struggle, and has the scars – from the skull fracture he suffered during the Selma march – to prove it.

Having said that, it’s understandable to be confused by Rep. Lewis’ sudden endorsement of Clinton, who once supported a damaging 1994 crime bill that lead to the mass incarceration of many Blacks, complete with a speech where she referred to Black youth as “super-predators”.

In this election cycle full of sound bites and lazy, biased reporting, it is important to fact check the records of all candidates to find out what their actual track record is. Our vote shouldn’t be wasted on a candidate simply because they are familiar – there is too much at stake.