At his rally at Brooklyn College on Saturday, local time, there were the same signs and the same music (Simon and Garfunkel's America). There were the same attacks on "millionahs and billionahs" and "the one per cent". Sanders still wants Medicare-for-all and free public college and a tax hike for the rich. But Sanders showed he is working hard to plug two of the gaps that helped sink his 2016 bid: a lack of support among black voters and the absence of a compelling personal narrative. Bernie Sanders pledged to fight for 'economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice', echoes of his failed 2016 campaign. Credit:AP In the 2016 primaries, Sanders performed best in states like New Hampshire and West Virginia that are almost entirely white. Meanwhile Clinton - campaigning as the heir to Barack Obama’s legacy - cleaned up in states like South Carolina and Georgia where black voters dominate. Sanders also struggled in states heavily Hispanic states like Texas and New Mexico.

In his 2016 messaging, Sanders explicitly prioritised class over race. This time around, he knows he must speak directly to the concerns of African Americans and Latino voters. At his campaign launch at Brooklyn College, Sanders was introduced by Nina Turner, a black state senator from Ohio and Terry Alexander, a black state representative from South Carolina. Alexandra Lincoln, 46, a performing arts administrator who travelled from Connecticut to hear Bernie Sanders speak at his campaign launch in Brooklyn on Saturday 'felt a fog lift from her consciousness'. Credit:Matthew Knott Another speaker - journalist Shaun King - spoke at length about Sanders' work protesting housing and school segregation when he was a college student in Chicago. Sanders, King said, has resisted telling these stories because it could be seen as opportunistic and because he didn't want to overshadow the work of black activists who risked their lives to end segregation.

When Sanders came out to speak, the first issue he mentioned was America’s "broken criminal justice system" - a topic of acute interest to black voters given the over-representation of African Americans in US prisons. He filled his speech with references to issues of high priority for black voters like urban gentrification, marijuana legalisation and voter suppression. The estimated crowd of 13,000 people at Brooklyn College, despite freezing conditions, showed Bernie Sanders' followers still revere him. Credit:Matthew Knott "We are going to bring our people together - black, white, Latino, Native American, Asian American, gay and straight, young and old, men and women," Sanders said, speaking in front of a carefully selected group of racially diverse supporters. The second big difference to Sanders' previous launch was that he spent much more time talking about his own personal history.

"I did not have a mom and dad who gave me millions of dollars to build luxury skyscrapers and casinos and country clubs," he said, contrasting his upbringing in a rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn to Donald Trump's inherited wealth. "But I had something more valuable: I had the role model of a father who had unbelievable courage in journeying across an ocean, with no money in his pocket and not knowing a word of English. Bernie Sanders showed he is working hard to plug two of the gaps that helped sink his 2016 bid: a lack of support among black voters and the absence of a compelling personal narrative. Credit:Matthew Knott "I know where I came from,” Sanders said, to applause from the crowd. "And that is something I will never forget." Sanders' message was clear: I'm not just a revolutionary or an ideologue. I'm a human being with a heart.

In his first week since announcing his candidacy, Sanders has raised $US10 million in small donations - far more than any of his rivals. Loading And the estimated crowd of 13,000 people at Brooklyn College, despite freezing conditions, showed his followers still revere him. "From the moment he announced he was running I felt a fog lift from my consciousness," said Alexandra Lincoln, 46, a performing arts administrator who travelled from Connecticut to hear him speak. "I felt hope. I have been a Democrat all my life but no one has ever fired me up like Bernie.