Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegButtigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield Facebook takes down Chinese network targeting Philippines, Southeast Asia and the US MORE on Thursday addressed controversy over his past use of the phrase “all lives matter,” saying he did not understand its political implications at the time.

Buttigieg used the phrase in his 2015 State of the City address in reference to a controversy over his office’s refusal to turn over tapes allegedly featuring racist remarks by South Bend police officers.

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Figures in the Black Lives Matter movement have said the phrase dismisses concerns specific to African-Americans, a connotation Buttigieg said he was unaware of when he made the speech.

"At that time, I was talking about a lot of issues around racial reconciliation in our community. What I did not understand at that time, was that phrase, just early into mid-2015, was coming to be viewed as a sort of counter-slogan to Black Lives Matter," Buttigieg said after a speech at the National Action Network, a political organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton. "And so, this statement that seems very anodyne and something that nobody could be against, actually wound up being used to devalue what the Black Lives Matter movement was telling us."

Buttigieg credited the Black Lives Matter movement’s advocacy for helping him become better educated on issues of racial violence and inequality.

“Since learning about how that phrase was being used to push back on that activism, I've stopped using it in that context,” he said.

The resurfacing of the 2015 speech prompted controversy this week, with Miramar, Fla., Mayor Wayne Messam, another Democratic 2020 presidential candidate, saying Buttigieg’s comments “lack true understanding of the issue at hand.”

Buttigieg has seen his star rise within the crowded Democratic field in recent weeks, reaching third place in one Iowa poll, behind former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate Trump attacks Omar for criticizing US: 'How did you do where you came from?' MORE and Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersButtigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Bernie Sanders warns of 'nightmare scenario' if Trump refuses election results Harris joins women's voter mobilization event also featuring Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda MORE (I-Vt.).