Dick Van Dyke announces presidential endorsement with powerful civil rights speech

Add legendary Hollywood actor Dick Van Dyke to the list of celebrities backing Vice President Kamala Harris.

The 98-year-old actor and comedian announced on his official YouTube channel on Monday that he was endorsing the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election, the day before Election Day on Tuesday.

Sixty years ago, on "May 31, 1964 — I was on the podium with Dr. Martin Luther King" at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Van Dyke said in the video. "I was there to read a message written by Rod Serling, the guy who wrote 'The Twilight Zone.' I got it out the other day, and I think it means as much today, if not more, than it did then. So if you don't mind, I'd like to read it."

The "Mary Poppins" actor read "The Twilight Zone" creator's "A Most Non-Political Speech," which Van Dyke read at a 1964 Religious Witness for Human Dignity event, nearly a year after King's "I Have A Dream" speech.

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"Hatred is not the norm. Prejudice is not the norm. Suspicion, dislike, jealousy, scapegoating, none of those are the transcendent facet of the human personality. They're diseases," Van Dyke read. "They are the cancers of the soul. They are the infectious and contagious viruses that have been breeding humanity for years. And because they have been and because they are, is it necessary that they shall be? I think not."

He continued reading from the speech: "To those who tell us that the inequality of the human animal is a necessary evil, we must respond by simply saying that first, it is evil, but it's not necessary. We prove it by reaffirming our faith. We prove it by having faith in our affirmations."

He added: "Let us be ashamed to live without that victory."

After reading from the speech, Van Dyke added that "a lot's happened" since 1964, and "not as much as Martin Luther dreamed of, but it's a start."

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Dick Van Dyke Twitter, Instagram posts gain traction with endorsement using Rod Serling message

Van Dyke posted the video on his social media channels, which have gained significant traction.

Though some followers complained that they "lost all respect" for the actor or that "Hollywood has no business in politics," others thanked the comedian for using his platform to support "the rights for people to have a fair and equal country."

"Dick been standing on business against racism for YEEAARRSSS!!" another user wrote on Instagram.

Another person said on X: "Anyone here surprised by this was never paying attention in the first place."

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Plenty of stars have come out in support of Harris, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Eminem, Jennifer Lopez, Bon Jovi, Julia Roberts and Harrison Ford.

On the other side of the aisle, Trump holds endorsements from some of the country's most prominent conservatives, including Jason Aldean, Caitlyn Jenner, Savannah Chrisley and Billy Ray Cyrus.

This story was updated to include additional information and because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.

Contributing: Jay Stahl

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dick Van Dyke endorsement: 98-year-old supports Harris for president