♪ i need my now ♪ i this is "nightline." >> tonight we have a new vision for america. >> democratic showdown. >> that's where the federal government steps in. >> who stood out on a crowded stage? >> we all talk about these things. i did it. >> and we're on the trail with an even bigger gathering of candidates. why this famous south carolina fish fry could help determine the state blue. plus pride. 50 years after the stone wall uprising, a look at gay pride across america. >> we owe it to our elders that we get to be here today. >> the inspiring voices and

challenges ahead. >> many lgbtq continue to be bullied pervasively in 2019. but first the "nightline" five.

good evening. thank you for joining us. the democrats trying to become the next president of the united states have had their say, sparring with each other and

taking aim at the man they hope to replace. tonight tonight, two nights, 20 candidates. >> we all talk about these things. i did it. i did it. >> is the biggest test yet for the slough of presidential candidates, all vying to define and for some introduce themselves on the national stage. >> i would pass a freedom dividend for every american adult starting at age 18. >> we don't have a health care system in the united states. we have a sickness care system in the united states. >> the stage on both nights reflected the diversity. one openly gay candidate. candi. tonight the front runner, joe biden at the center of the stage, quickly becoming a target. >> joe biden was right when he

said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of americans 32 years ago, he's still right today. if we're going to solve the issues of automation, pass the torch. >> the moment revolving around that point. >> part of joe's generation. part of joe's generation. >> kamala harris, breaking through the crossfire. >> hey, guys, you know what? america does not want to witness a food fight. they want to know how we're going to put food on their fablfabl table. >> this night belonged to kamala harris, bringing the fight to the front runner and doing it in highly personal ways. >> senator harris confronting biden on race, working with segregationists in the senate. >> it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two united states senators who built their reputations on career on the segregation of race in this country.

>> that's a >> one point had agreement, they must replace donald trump. >> if you think we're going to beat donald trump by having all these plans, you got another thing coming. he didn't win by saying he had a plan. he won by saying make america great again. >> what they can't agree on is how to defeat him. >> there is a battle for the soul of the democratic party. joe biden the establishment wing of the party and bernie sanders the progressive left, but it's more complicated than that, there's attitudinal, generational differences that played out. >> the debate we're having in our party right now is confusing. because the truth is, there's a big difference between can't lichl on t lichl on the one hand and greed

on the other. >> that difference playing out on health care. >> who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan? >> all right. >> there are a lot of politicians who say oh, it's just not possible. we just can't do it, have a lot of political reasons for this. what they're really telling you is they just won't fight tor it. >> i believe health care is a right and not a privilege, but you can't expect to eliminate private insurance for 180 million people, many of whom don't want to give it up. >> reporter: and as for immigration, what's arguably the president's signature issue, there was plenty to say on that. >> we should call out hypocrisy when we see it, and for a party that associates itself with christianity, that suggests god would smile at the division of families at the hands of federal agents. >> watching that image of oscar and his daughter is

heartbreaking. it should also piss us all off. >> but there were moments of levity. booker's reaction to o'rourke's spanish going viral. later the senator replying in kind. tonight the president overseas in japan for the g-20 tweeting after this moment. >> raise your hand if your government plan would provide coverage for undocumented immigrants? okay. >> reporter: how about taking care of american citizens first? the debates are their largest platform yet, but just a few days ago, almost all the candidates gathered on a different stage. >> hello, south carolina! >> reporter: south carolina, the first southern state to vote in the primary. >> how's everybody feelin'? >> reporter: 21 candidates gathered on a humid day in columbia at the fish fry hosted by jim clyburn. >> what is this fish fry all

about? this is our effort to say thank you. >> reporter: it was the largest gathering of 2020 hopefuls to date who took to the stage with their pitches. >> health care is a right, not a privilege! >> reporter: their attacks. >> we have a man in the white house right now who divides us every day. he goes after immigrants, people of color. >> reporter: and even their dad jokes. >> let's not flounder. let's get out there and kick some bass. >> reporter: more than 7,000 south carolinians showed up to the event and volunteers facing off. >> i am a warren democrat, hey, hey, ho, ho. >> reporter: voters came out to meet the candidates and for the famous fried fish. over 4400 pounds of whiting were served, and almost 7,000 slices of white bread. >> i really want to see the candidates, the fun, the fellowship. the fish is delicious.

>> reporter: on this night, erica jackson is undecided. she's not a fan of the big pool of candidates. >> i think that is a negative thing, so i am hoping we're going to bring that in some. i think it's going to split apart the group. >> i'm excited. i think there are a number of people who are talented and qualified to hold the position. elizabeth warren, joe biden of course. pete buttigieg. >> reporter: ellie and her mom stacy believe this historically red state is much more diverse than people may think. >> south carolina is much more of a purple state than people realize. >> i was away from south carolina for about a decade, and when i decided i wanted to move back because i wanted to be a part of change in this state. i'm a millennial. i think we have to move back to these states in order to enact

change. >> reporter: amber williams is currently supporting o'rourke. she shared a motto with us. >> anybody but trump. abt. >> reporter: here in south carolina, though the candidates were reaching out to all voters, it was clear there was an appeal for a specific segment of this voting block. >> and we cannot forget that it was here in south carolina that we have had heroes of our nation who fought and died for civil rights. >> the right to be here with jim, it was pointed out today, the highest-ranking african-american in the united states of america other than the guy i worked with for eight years. >> reporter: we caught up with the former chair of the democratic party and working to unseat lindsey graham. >> we have learned that the winner of the south carolina primary is the eventual winner of the party. we know that on the democratic

side our nominee will either win or lose, based on the african-american vote. >> we are extremely important. we saw what black women did alone in alabama. so we really can make things happen. i know south carolina is a red state. but we are hoping to turn that state blue, and we're going to be hopeful. there's always hope. >> reporter: it's a special kind of optimism that linkers here in the palmetto state. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> you're ready for bernie? >> absolutely. i've been feeling the bern for years. >> reporter: for these democrat i democratic voters, there's a deep-seeded hope that change is on the way. >> be sure to continue following coverage on abc news.com. and the acceptance that continues 50 years later. ♪

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50 years ago on june 28th, right here in new york city at the stone wall inn, a police raid and rebellion shaped the beginning of the gay rights movement. now decades later we examine the state of pride across america. here's abc's linsey davis. >> pride is a celebration. pride is protest. pride is empowering. pride is a party.

pride is political. pride is love. >> reporter: with the 50th anniversary of the stone wall rebellion this month, internet star journalist and lgbtq activist raymond braun is asking, what is the state of pride. >> since stone wall pride has been a looking-glass into the lgbtq community. >> reporter: he spent last june traveling around the country for his documentary, "state of pride" available for free on youtube. >> people have been doing this a long time. we owe it to our elders that we get to be here today. >> happy pride, >> there are so many closet lgbtq kids who have written me and said, turned off my lights, put my headphones in and watched the documentary, because i can't

go to pride. but because i watched this documentary, i feel like i did. >> reporter: braun says he relates to those closeted kids. >> i was gay from as early as i could walk on the -- >> look at you. >> i grew up in a small, rural, conservative town in northwest ohio. i didn't see any openly gay men, any trans people, any binary people. when i say i didn't know how to go into the closet, i think this demonstrates that. i mean, hello. >> reporter: we learn to use social media to create social change at stanford university and landed a joboutube marketing debate, quickly showing how youtube could elevate. >> i created this #to love. within the context of the debate for marriage equality. >> reporter: that hash tag

brought in millions of views, the massive success raising his profile and landing him a spot on forbes 30 under 30. >> that was my first foray into realizing how powerful social media can be and creating powerful messages. >> reporter: he ended up leaving his job to start his own youtube channel which he uses to connect with the lgbtq plus community, his documentary, a natural extension of that mission. >> what ligs recollection of pride? >> i would watch youtube videos, coming out stories. i remember one of the first videos i saw, that i was like, oh, my god, there's a lot of gay people in the world. >> reporter: braun says he was most impacted by the small town pride celebrations where the turnout can be low, but the

risks of attending can be high. >> i think would be cool if some of the lgbtq folks in big cities, go to a pride that's a little under the radar. >> reporter: pride events in small towns across america owe their existence to those who risked it all 50 years ago at the stone wall uprising, an event that sparked a movement explored in the docuseries, "1969." >> we could be openly who we were. >> reporter: the stone wall inn in new york city had become a refuge for the city's lgbt community. >> it had no license. because you couldn't serve alcohol to a known homosexual because you'd probably lose your license. every few weeks they'd come in and raid the place. >> reporter: on june 28, 1969, one of those raids would take an unexpected turn. >> there's maybe 30 or 40 people gathered in the street.

another policeman came out and said something to one of the queens, and one of the queens screamed something back at him. and that's where it all began. windows were broken. the police called for reinforcement. and it got a little out of hand. >> we were fighting, and it was for our lives. >> we all decided to break off the shackles of 2,000 years of oppression. it was out loud, proud and gay! >> people see pride parades for a backdrop for a cute instagram photo and are not thinking about the history, activism, protest and the trail blazer whose made it possible for us to celebrate the way we do today. >> reporter: earlier this month, an apology decades in the making from the new york city police department. >> the actions taken by the nypd were wrong, plain and simple. the actions and the laws were discriminatory and oppressive, and for that, i apologize. >> that was a step in the direction of healing for a lot

of people. >> reporter: but there's still many in the community who do not feel safe. >> i was at work, and this guy, he's like, i'm not going to be served by this him, she, whatever it is. >> i learned from early age that it's not okay for me to be the friend. they almost killed me. >> many lgbtq youth continue to be bullied pervasively in 2019. trans women of color are still being murdered and discriminated against >> three trans women have been targeted in the last seven months. >> you could be facing discrimination for being black, for being a woman and for be being transgender. >> the data is there. it's no secret that bla black trans women are being murdered at a very high rate. >> as long as lgbtq people are facing any form of discrimination, pride is still relevant. i've always thought about how powerful it is for young lgbtq

kids, particularly those who are closeted can identify with those on television. and i know there is a kid sitting at the kitchen table right now while his parents are watching this same exact seg mpt segment. >> to see the full episode of abc's "1969", stream it on the abc app or go to abc news.com. be sure to tune in sunday morning at 11:00/10:00 central. the brother and sister marking a milestone. be right back. with moderate to severe crohn's disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications.

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plus, 0% interest for 36-months. ends saturday. and finally, tonight, the siblings' sweet embrace catching hearts across the internet. she is crying tears of joy at her preschool graduation, and in the audience, parents and very proud big brother derrick who couldn't contain his excitement for his little sister's

accomplishment with a big hug. this heartwarming embrace going viral. charlie now excited to head to kindergarten this fall to join who else in the same school? her big brother. what a sweet moment. congratulations, charlie. it was the reverend henry ward beecher who said children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven. that's "nightline." when you can't stay up with us, you can always catch our full episodes on hulu. thanks for the company, america. goodnight.

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