“Do ‘black lives matter or do ‘all lives matter’?” he asked the five Democratic candidates, who for the first time in eight years are all white.

“It was a soft question posed just for them to agree with,” said Rae Hamilton, a 22-year-old international studies major who came to Angel of Harlem to watch the debate with her roommate. “There is definitely a more nuanced way of asking about the racial divide in this country. I wish they would asked them to confront this.”

“Black lives matter,” Vermont senator Bernie Sanders responded quickly. Sanders had been interrupted twice by Black Lives Matter protesters at campaign rallies in Phoenix and Seattle. He has since met with the movement’s leaders and rolled out an extensive racial justice platform.

Sanders evoked Sandra Bland – the young black woman who died in Texas jail after being pulled over for a traffic violation – and said that as president racial injustice would be a top priority.

Hamilton said she thought Sanders provided the best, most genuine response while former Virginia senator Jim Webb provided the worst. Webb shared a bizarre anecdote about representing a black Vietnam war veteran convicted of murder, before concluding his pitch to black voters: “I am your person.”