Medium Post.

The Buttigieg campaign has taken the unusual step of repeatedly organizing mandatory diversity and inclusion trainings along with other voluntary retreats and sessions, in an effort to more proactively foster a culture of "belonging" within the campaign, it says. Political campaigns, which are often frenetic organizations, rarely devote time and resources just weeks before the first voting contests to address personnel issues in their headquarters.

For Buttigieg's minority staff members, a normally grinding presidential campaign has been particularly personal. Buttigieg has been criticized publicly for failing to significantly improve his support among minority voters, and has been criticized for past statements, including a years-old video in which he said that lower income and minority students don't have "someone who they know personally who testifies to the value ofeducation." His minority staffers have been on the front lines defending him.

After a meeting of black South Bend residents devolved into chaos when Black Lives Matter and supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders interrupted the meeting in December, several black Buttigieg supporters took to Twitter to voice their frustration.

"This is what Black folks who support Pete experience all the time on Twitter," wrote Nina Smith, Buttigieg's traveling press secretary. "White men, grabbing the mic, insulting us, calling us 'uppity' 'purchased' and 'tokens' all in support of certain white male candidates. Careful YOUR racism is showing."

The New York Times reported that at one of the campaign meetings on diversity and inclusion, some staffers said they were stressed after facing critical questions from family members and friends about supporting a campaign