Hillary Clinton’s prospects in the Democratic presidential primary hinge in large part on her winning over the large majority of African-American voters, repeating in Pennsylvania and California what she did in the South and, more recently, New York. As part of her strategy, Clinton has harkened back to the good old days of the 1990s, when another Clinton sat in the White House. Notably, she has deployed empowerment zones as a case in point.

At first glance, it might seem odd that Clinton has devoted precious time to an obscure remnant of Bill Clinton’s urban agenda, not least since its effect was so limited. Yet Clinton has clearly decided that touting the modest program will help her cement black support.

In her “race speech” on February 16, Clinton cited empowerment zones — along with the new markets tax credit and the earned income tax credit — as a measure that “made a real difference in people’s lives.” Such efforts, Clinton claimed, “helped to create the highest increase in black incomes and the lowest black unemployment in history.”