A Spelman College graduate and attorney, Stacey Abrams responded to the sabotage of her run for governor of Georgia by bringing hundreds of thousands of people of color to the polls in time for the 2020 election. Stacey understands that our votes have the power to determine election outcomes. She understands that our people, when apprised of the facts, are most likely to use our strong family and cultural values to pick our leaders. People of color are now and have always been focused on The Big Truth. Our democracy is in danger of being lost because Republican politicians are giving up all sense of pride to keep power. In the adoption of The Big Lie, Trump supporters in government all over the United States are using the playbook of denial to keep racial apartheid in place.
One would think that access to the internet would cause politicians to hesitate to put out patently false rumors, knowing that we can just look up the facts. But the internet is flooded with misinformation and outright lies. Because her opponent in the Georgia race actually controlled the election in which over a million of likely democratic voters were disenfranchised, Ms. Abrams feels that the governorship was actually stolen from her. Republicans and their supporters in the state of Georgia continue maneuvering to reduce the potential of people of color to vote in upcoming elections. Not one to take her toys and quietly recede into the background, Stacey has come out fighting, with facts, education, and a strong sense of purpose and fairness. Stacey has shown us how to handle “defeat” with well managed power. A Yale Law School graduate, she is teaching us to claim and protect our votes, our “citizen’s gold”. Stacey’s Fair Fight team has mobilized, especially, the voices & votes of black women.
The next time you are challenged with resistance and defeat, think of sister Stacey. Do your homework. Think about what needs to change in order for the next brother or sister to claim their victories. If it’s as individual as your one vote or as sweeping as all the votes in your county, state or region, get out there and do your part!
Wow! What black women’s activism can do ala Stacey Abrams. Revel in her success. Follow her steps. Never again feel that you have no choices. That you can’t be heard. Look how Stacey did it. Our democracy survived (so far) because this former representative of the Georgia state house led the way to democratic victory.