Bernie Sanders needs black women's support. So what's his plan to win us over?

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: despite years of careful planning, investments and hiring key high-level diverse advisers, Bernie Sanders is struggling to connect with voters of color, and specifically black voters. This became especially clear at a forum I organized with She the People last week with eight presidential candidates, including Sanders.

Upon coming on stage, Sanders received a standing ovation from nearly 1,800 women of color from across 28 states, yet the positive vibes didn’t last long. When Sayu Bhojwani, the execu

tive director of New American Leaders, stood on stage to ask him a question about the rise of white nationalist violence, what the federal government’s role in the fight against the rise of white nationalism and white terrorist acts, and how he plans to fight that as president, he gave a disappointing answer.

Instead of addressing the current crisis, he reminded the room of Donald Trump’s demagoguery, and then pivoted to his time marching with Martin Luther King. It simply did not answer the question in a satisfying way. We did not hear that he shared our fear. We did not hear how he viewed the federal government’s role in protecting us against white nationalist violence. We did not hear his strategy or plans, of how and what he would implement in his first year as president. The response from the audience was widespread groans and boos.

Much has been made of this booing. Many Sanders supporters called it shameful to boo the March on Washington. And to be fair, no candidate – including Joe Biden, who referenced the tragedy in Charlottesville in his campaign announcement video – has offered a bold plan to prevent violence and protect communities targeted by white nationalists and white supremacists – black people, Muslims, immigrants, Jews.

Women of color and black voters need specific proposals about meeting this scourge. No candidate will win over black voters or women of color in 2020 unless they can respond with authentic understanding and address the rise of white supremacist violence that many of us cannot escape. Sanders’ failure to meet the moment at the She the People forum is a mistake that Democrats running for president have made for too long.

Sanders had an opportunity last week to connect with women of color by drawing on shared experiences. As a Jewish man, he could have pointed to the specific threats that Jews have faced from white nationalists. He could have directly connected the Poway synagogue and Tree of Life attacks with church burnings in the south and hate crimes affecting Muslims and immigrants. This would have immediately connected with the hearts and minds of the women of color at the forum, and the million viewers who watched the livestream. There is no indication that the murderous violence by white nationalists and white supremacists will abate. In fact, the Southern Poverty Law Center reports that these crimes are on the rise, and the FBI has come to the same conclusion.

As an avowed democratic socialist, Bernie has the concrete economic policy proposals that speak deeply to the needs of women of color and black voters alike. It’s time for him to create a concrete plan to deal with white supremacist violence and our current racial justice crisis.

Black voters and women of color do not want another president who does not see or value us. Sanders needs to let us know that he understands deeply how frightening, difficult and dangerous this political moment is for us, and for the entire country.

Sanders’ incredible strides in diversifying his staff, in expanding his political outreach, and his exceptional early organizing simply will not be enough to beat Trump. He needs the backing of women of color to take him across the finish line. And Sanders and all the candidates will only secure the women of color vote when they make it patently clear to us and our communities that they have a plan to secure our safety and will turn back the tide of racist violence. We want to know what candidates will do now when our families are being torn apart, when the police murder our children, when our families are struggling to put food on the table, and when our mothers are dying in childbirth.

Women of color want solutions to rising white nationalist violence, and we will not settle for less.

Aimee Allison is the president and founder of She the People, a national network elevating the political voice and power of women of color

Black voters and women of color do not want another president who does not see or value us