Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) has seen a swell in grassroots support in recent weeks, drawing record crowds to campaign events as he delivers a populist, anti-Wall-Street message focused on a democratic socialist economic policy.
But one key demographic doesn't seem to be jumping on the Sanders bandwagon -- black voters.
Speaking at the Netroots Nation, Sanders was interrupted by activists associated with the Black Lives Matter movement chanting "Say her name" and "Black lives matter" as he delivered an address on stage. (The "say her name" chant references Sandra Bland, a black woman who was found dead in her jail cell after being taken into police custody in Texas last week.)
Some who value the Black Lives Matter movement believe the Senator has emphasized economic inequality at the expense of addressing underlying issues of race. As St. Louis activist Ashley Yates told Al Jazeera: "If you’re doing economic justice and you’re not talking about black and brown people, you’re not actually doing economic justice.”
At the event, Sanders took a defensive tone and told the crowd, "Black lives of course matter. But I’ve spent 50 years of my life fighting for civil rights. If you don’t want me to be here, that’s okay.”
Sanders has long been a civil rights activist and, as a 22-year-old college student, he was one of hundreds of thousands of people who traveled to Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington in August 1963. He recently told the Burlington Free Press that the day made a lasting impression on his political work.
"I don't want to out-scream people," he added, before delving back into a discussion of income inequality and the economy.
Fellow presidential hopeful Martin O'Malley also spoke and received a similar treatment from protesters in the crowd. But since the Netroots Nation event, Sanders has felt the bulk of the social media fury.
Those who questioned Sanders' record on race of late spoke out with the Twitter hashtag #BernieSoBlack.
Little known fact Bernie Sanders was actually the one who told John Carlos and Tommie Smith to put up black power fist in 68 #BernieSoBlack— Rod TBGWT (@rodimusprime) July 19, 2015
The hashtag was started by comedian Rodderick Morrow, who told Vox that he took issue with the way Sanders has addressed race so far in his campaign.
"Bernie Sanders, while he does have a good track record on race in the past, he's kind of been avoiding talking about certain racial issues now. Whenever he's asked a question, he goes into a spiel on economics — which is fine, obviously, people do want wage and class equality," said Morrow. "But certain issues are race issues, and they do need to be talked about, at least from a candidate that I would like to vote for."
The hashtag quickly took on a life of its own and, just three days later, had already been used more than 21,000 times, according to tweet tracking site Topsy. Many of those who shared the hashtag took a humorous approach, but it also exposed the perspective of some black progressives who don't believe Sanders has appropriately addressed the country's issues rooted in race.
#BernieSoBlack HE teaches you how to Cha Cha Slide! https://t.co/3CJorwWn9b— Rod TBGWT (@rodimusprime) July 19, 2015
"You know what would be cool? If you all wore top hats! No, wait, wait! Berets!" —Bernie Sanders to Bobby Seale #BernieSoBlack— BGD (@BlackGirlDanger) July 19, 2015
Dear White Progressives, Black people don't HAVE to support Bernie or anyone. You don't own us & we don't owe you ANYTHING #BernieSoBlack— Joshua Jackson (@JoshuaKJackson) July 19, 2015
.@BernieSanders, please meet #BernieSoBlack.— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) July 19, 2015
A group of Sanders supporters, however, quickly sprang to Sanders' defense on social media.
They have rallied support on Twitter under the hashtag #FeelTheBern, which has proven popular. In the past 30 days, according to Topsy, the hashtag has been used more than 212,400 times.
Some of those supporters have tried to reclaim the #BernieSoBlack hashtag with a positive campaign spin, but they are in the minority.
#berniesoblack he wants corrupt police off the streets and convicted for their crimes. #FeelTheBern #Bernie2016 #Women4Bernie— Kimberley Robinson (@kimjrobinson) July 19, 2015
This weekend's disruption, along with the social media uproar, have proved symptomatic of a larger issue within the Sanders campaign -- his inability, so far, to connect with black voters.
According to CNN, a June CNN/ORC poll showed just 2% of black Democrats support Sanders. This number has been the same since February. Among all non-white voters, Sanders pulls in just 9% of support compared to Hillary Clinton's 61%.