Democrats have traditionally won strong margins with black voters and that is unlikely to change in 2016. But in recent weeks, the Black Lives Matter movement has been a stumbling block for the Democratic candidates.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley each used the phrase “all lives matter” in this early campaign. And Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has said, “Black lives matter, white lives matter, Hispanic lives matter.”
For those at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement, these words hit the wrong note. “All lives matter” is a phrase adopted by those who seek to minimize or criticize the movement.
“Nobody got the messaging right at the beginning. They should have known better,” said DeRay Mckesson, a former teacher who has become a full-time organizer in the Black Lives Matter movement. He is among the activists the Democratic campaigns have courted.
“If they plan to be president, black people are a constituency that they will not be able to take for granted and will need to speak to directly and speak to issues that black people face directly,” he said.