Eight 2020 Democratic presidential candidates will participate in the "She the People" presidential forum in Houston on Wednesday afternoon.

The event is billed as “the first-ever Presidential candidate forum focused on women of color,” and will be streamed to a national audience by NBC, Telemundo, and MSNBC.

The forum is being held at Texas Southern University, a historically black university (HBCU) in downtown Houston.

O'Rourke

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke Beto O'RourkeJimmy Carter says his son smoked pot with Willie Nelson on White House roof O'Rourke endorses Kennedy for Senate: 'A champion for the values we're most proud of' 2020 Democrats do convention Zoom call MORE (D-Texas) has not made a significant national media appearance since being on Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail WinfreyNYT security guard who went viral for interaction with Biden will have prominent role at convention: report Louisville Breonna Taylor billboard erected by Oprah Magazine vandalized with red paint 'White privilege' is the biggest white lie of all MORE's couch before launching his candidacy.

O'Rourke has a home-turf advantage in Texas and will hope to show off some popularity in a state that would be huge for Democrats to win in the general election.

The forum also presents an opportunity for the former congressman to challenge the perception that his campaign primarily appeals to white college graduates.

Castro

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, another Texas native, will gain from the opportunity to address a national audience.

Castro, who also served as the mayor of San Antonio, may be able to use this forum as a platform to highlight his immigration platform to a diverse audience.

Klobuchar

To secure the Democratic nomination, Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy KlobucharSocial media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight Sunday shows - Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death dominates MORE (D-Minn.) will have to prove she can expand her appeal beyond voters in the Midwest, and this forum gives her an opportunity to do so.

The Minnesota lawmaker is coming off a CNN town hall Monday where she faced derision for telling the audience to cheer, a moment which has been compared to 2016 Republican candidate Jeb Bush asking supporters to clap. Wednesday's appearance may help her recover from that viral moment.

Gabbard

She has followed a nontraditional campaign trail since launching her candidacy in February, and has had low name recognition in many early voting states.

Gabbard may be able to clarify her stances on some issues which have dogged her, including meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad in 2017.