Black is the new black.

At least that’s the case as the presidential campaign barrels toward the Nevada caucus Saturday and South Carolina primary on Feb. 27. Faster than you can say “sizable African-American population’’ – which wasn’t the case in either Iowa or New Hampshire – candidates have been scrambling to see who can sound the most alarms about issues that disproportionately affect black people.

Of course, this refers to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the only White House aspirants making any such effort. That’s because, to borrow and expand on Kanye West’s most unimpeachable statement, Republicans don’t care about black people. Unlike years past, GOP candidates aren’t even pretending to pander during this election cycle. More than ever — and that’s saying a lot, considering the last 50 years of racist GOP fear-mongering — Republicans, whose S.C. primary is Saturday, have surrendered their party to the kind of unbridled demagoguery and malice that never bodes well for African-Americans.

So it’s Clinton and Sanders trying to present themselves as brand new to voters they desperately need to win primaries and secure the nomination. From mass incarcerations and police misconduct to systemic racism and white privilege, both Democratic candidates have discussed the poison of racism far more than Barack Obama did when he first ran for the White House in 2008.

They’ve campaigned at historically black colleges and universities, and traveled up to Harlem to touch the hem of the Reverend Al’s garment, hoping he’ll bestow his much-coveted endorsement upon one of them. Clinton is backed by the political arm of the Congressional Black Caucus, while Sanders has held his own with support from rapper Killer Mike, entertainer-activist Harry Belafonte, and acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Clinton campaigned with mothers of unarmed African-Americans killed by police officers or in police custody; meanwhile, Erica Garner, whose father Eric died in 2014 from an illegal chokehold applied by a New York City cop, made a video ad for Sanders. Still, this ardent pursuit of black voters has had its clumsy moments. Delivering a speech to a mostly black crowd in Minneapolis last week, Sanders was light on answers when loudly challenged as to how he planned to bring his promises to fruition. Michelle Alexander, author of “The New Jim Crow,’’ wrote a reasoned, scathing essay for The Nation called “Why Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Deserve the Black Vote.’’ For Clinton, who, along with her husband, has long received near-unconditional black support, and Sanders, who, despite a half-century of civil rights activism, has never had to concern himself with wooing African-American voters as a Vermont politician, this is unfamiliar ground.

With the influence of the Black Lives Matter movement, both candidates are facing potential voters not easily satisfied. These are the parched souls of young black folks who believe their lives depend on concrete actions, not just extravagant promises. Occasionally, some white liberals behave as if people of color should just be happy that their issues are talking points at all, and the candidates’ frustrations have been apparent at campaign events interrupted by Black Lives Matter activists.

This is not the World Cup where, every four years, Americans can pretend to care about a sport they are generally happy to ignore. Black people know what is at stake, and aren’t content just to have their concerns used like so much decorative bunting this election season. They want their bodies, their rights, and their children protected.

There’s no time for hollow proclamations, or talking loud and saying nothing. Candidates want to get elected; black people want to survive. If Clinton and Sanders cannot explain how to make real their campaign promises of equal opportunities, fair treatment, and justice, then he or she will deserve neither votes, nor peace, from African-Americans.

Renée Graham writes regularly for the Globe. Follow her on Twitter @reneeygraham.