Coming off of some criticism for his outreach to and lagging support among Black communities, Buttigieg explains at the fifth Democratic presidential debate that he has served as mayor in a racially diverse city where he sees first hand the long-term effects of racial inequity. He goes on to note his shared understanding of marginalization: “While I do not have the experience of ever having been discriminated against because of the color of my skin, I do have the experience of sometimes feeling like a stranger in my own country, turning on the news and seeing my own rights come up for debate, and seeing my rights expanded by a coalition of people like me and people not at all like me, working side by side, shoulder to shoulder, making it possible for me to be standing here. Wearing this wedding ring in a way that couldn’t have happened two elections ago lets me know just how deep my obligation is to help those whose rights are on the line every day, even if they are nothing like me in their experience.”