Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has come out of the gate early talking about black folks and the persistent inequalities in America. Now he needs to find a way to talk to African Americans, those whose complexions may look like me but not think like me.

It's a delicate dance for Buttigieg. Stops along his campaign trail have been noticeably absent of people of color. He has repeatedly acknowledged his desire to build a more diverse base. But one misstep and Buttigieg might earn the nickname "Pandering Pete."

Buttigieg must find a way to appeal to black voters without appearing calculating or condescending. He has quickly realized that he must make a pitch to African Americans who will ultimately ask: If I vote for you what are you going to do for me and my family?

Buttigieg says he has answers: a black-centric agenda that addresses criminal justice reform; entrepreneurship; access to credit and capital; and voter suppression. He likens his proposal to something as bold as the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War II.

Dubbed the Douglass Plan for Black America, in honor of abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, Buttigieg said his proposal "could help heal the deep wounds of America’s original sin and supercharge economic growth for every American."

“Replacing racist policies with neutral ones will not be enough to deliver equality. We must actively work to reverse these harms,” Buttigieg wrote in an op-ed laying out the plan in the Charleston Chronicle ahead of this weekend's Black Economic Alliance forum.

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Buttigieg is scheduled to travel to Charleston, S.C. to speak at the 2020 presidential forum — hosted by the nonpartisan group founded by black executives and business leaders — aimed at sussing out policy details from White House hopefuls.

In his plan, Buttigieg pledged to end unnecessary and discriminatory incarceration and sentencing disparities, while reducing the number of incarcerated Americans by half.

"This is not a random target, but the hard math on how many Americans should not be locked up in the first place," Buttigieg wrote.

He said he would triple the number of entrepreneurs — particularly entrepreneurs of color from underserved areas — within 10 years, creating 3 million jobs and more than $660 billion in new wealth for black communities.

Buttigieg said he also wants to increase federal contracting with minority-owned businesses from 9% to 25%, a move that could inject more than $100 billion into communities of color. In addition, Buttigieg said his goal is to grow successful small businesses in black communities by 50% by reforming credit scoring and access to credit.

Lastly, Buttigieg said he wants to safeguard democracy, particularly in the black community, "where systematic efforts are taking away the right to vote." Buttigieg said he would advance a 21st Century Voting Rights Act and ban discriminatory practices such as voter ID laws.

He clearly needs to drill down on more specifics about his racial justice platform, though I sense his desire to replace racist policies is as genuine as it is tactical.

Buttigieg may be young — and his political experience doesn't extend beyond South Bend City Hall — but he is fully aware that for him to even earn a swat at the Democratic nomination he has to woo African Americans, a critical segment of the electorate.

For example, Buttigieg has been swinging through South Carolina on a mission to gain some ground among black voters. South Carolina is an early primary state where African Americans made up roughly 60% of the Democratic primary electorate in 2016.

Black voters, black people in general, don’t all think the same. There is no monolithic black constituency, instead there are vast distinctions related to geography, culture and religion, to name a few. But there are also broad issues — economic inequality, voter suppression, law enforcement bias, educational access, health care — that resonate with black Americans.

Buttigieg’s challenge, in part, is to raise the issues that might affect large swaths of African Americans, but relate to them as individuals.

I imagine there will be some white Americans who are turned off by Buttigieg tailoring part of his platform for a specific bloc of voters, specifically African Americans. I've already heard his efforts derogatorily described as 'identity politics' — as if the current administration's entire campaign wasn't and isn't shaped by white identity politics.

The idea of abolishing racial and wealth caste systems shouldn't be a partisan issue. And if there's a candidate out there with a roadmap to address some systemic inequities — which Buttigieg appears to be formulating — all Americans should be listening.

But the Democratic field is a crowded one. It’s imperative that each candidate — regardless of whether they eventually win the nomination — push policies and ideas that could become the building blocks of their presidential campaign.

Racial justice and equality certainly needs to be part of the conversation.

Email IndyStar columnist Suzette Hackney at suzette.hackney@indystar.com. Friend her on Facebook at Suzette Hackney and follow her on Twitter: @suzyscribe.