Actress Jenifer Lewis rants about Rosa Parks, Emmett Till at rally for Val Demings

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'Black-ish' star Jenifer Lewis rants about Rosa Parks, Emmett Till at Val Demings rally

American actress Jenifer Lewis accuses Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., of lying and rants about civil rights icons including Rosa Parks and Emmett Till at rally for Senate candidate Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla. 

"Black-ish" actress Jenifer Lewis called Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a liar and went off on a bizarre rant about Rosa Parks and Emmett Till at a rally for Democratic Senate nominee Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., on Tuesday.

"This speech is going to go around the world," a jubilant Lewis exclaimed at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens before denouncing Rubio as a "lie" and accusing him of being willing to "cheat and steal."  

"Val Demings is the truth 'cause she knows what a lie is. She also knows, like me, you cannot lie your way to greatness," Lewis told the crowd. "Marco Rubio is a lie. He is – did y'all see that debate? Lied his a-- off." 

It is unclear what alleged "lie" Lewis was referring to or what she meant by "cheat and steal." 

She went on to call Rubio "weak" and then rattled off the names of famed civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., South African leader Nelson Mandela, and Emmett Till.    

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Actress Jenifer Lewis attends the Democratic National Committee event in Miami Gardens, Florida, Nov. 1, 2022. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"So I say to Marco, and all those other weak men, before you lie to us, remember Rosa sat on that bus. Before you tell your tale, remember Mandela sat in that jail. Before you do anything, you remember Dr. King! Before you cheat and steal, I dare you to Google Emmett Till," Lewis said. 

She then led the crowd in chanting Till's name and then performed a few high kicks before continuing her speech.  

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Jenifer Lewis kicks up her leg onstage during a reception supporting Senate candidate Val Demings and gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, on Nov. 1, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

"Emmett Till, you said it," Lewis shouted. "Emmett Till! Say it again, Emmett Till!" 

Till was a Black teenager from Chicago whose racially-motivated slaying in 1955 in Mississippi led to widespread outcry and became a rallying point of the civil rights movement. 

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Lewis opened for President Biden, who traveled to Florida Tuesday to stump for Demings and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist. It was his third trip to the Sunshine State this midterm cycle, where polls show both Demings and Crist trailing their incumbent Republican opponents by double digits. 

Florida Senate candidates Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, and Rep. Val Demings, a Democrat, debate in Palm Beach County on Oct. 18, 2022. (Thomas Cordy/The Palm Beach Post via AP)

In his speech, the president reiterated his opposition to "extreme MAGA Republicans" and accused Republicans like Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis of "coming after" the right to vote. 

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"This election is not a referendum. It’s a choice. It’s a choice between two vastly different visions for America," Biden said. 

Rubio and Demings will face off in Florida's midterm election next Tuesday.