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Stacey Abrams and her pursuit of voting rights represents a new America
Stacey Abrams and her selfless pursuit of voting rights for all ensured that democracy was upheld in Georgia, and the United States this November.
In 2020, as we have been in desperate need of positive news and inspiration, Abrams is a shining example of turning tragedy into triumph. Losing her race for governor in Georgia in 2018 illustrates this fact.
Losing is the real test of our character.
It is easy to celebrate a win and engorge in our successes, but how do we react when we take a loss, especially one we believe we deserved?
Stacey Abrams: The Peoples’ Governor of 2018
Stacey Abrams’ 2018 race for governor in the state of Georgia was historic. A Black woman running for the highest office in a historically red state against insurmountable odds was remarkable.
Abrams’ candidacy showed how far we have come as a country. But it also showed us how far we still have to go.
Despite amassing a passionate base of voters ready to elect what would have been the first Black-woman-governor in America, Abrams fell short of her goal and lost the election.
The odds stacked against her were immense. There were years of coordinated voter suppression tactics in the South that kept voter turnout in many of Georgia’s minority populated areas low. This contributed heavily to her defeat to Republican Brian Kemp.
Instead of wallowing in despair and claiming that the election was unfair, Abrams took the defeat gracefully. She realized that this was only the beginning and that the real work was yet to come. Republicans may have won the battle, but Abrams prepared for the war.
The Blue Crusade
In 2020, Stacey Abrams and the Democratic Party are reaping the fruits of her labor. Numbers are needed to win elections and create change.
Abrams understood this and immediately went to work registering over 800,000 voters in Georgia, many of which were in the same minority communities that suffered from voter suppression tactics.
Abrams’s goal is to build a Georgia of fairness and equality. For Abrams, this is not about what the state can become in the future. This kind of Georgia already exists.
Much like the changing demographics of the nation, Georgia also represents the diversity that we cherish as Americans. Abrams prioritizing registering young voters, voters of color, voters representing the LGBTQ community, and more, represents the evolving makeup of modern-day America.
Eyes on the Prize
Just like a sports team focuses on winning championships, Abrams kept her eyes on the prize in this country. That prize was the hearts and minds of the people.
With grassroots organizations like Fair Fight and additionally The New Georgia Project working collectively to register and educate voters, a movement formed behind her.
This groundwork led to Georgia being one of the centerpieces of the 2020 election, thus sitting on the verge of becoming blue.
Two Democratic Senate candidates in the state, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, will likely benefit from this increase in voter registration and participation, potentially giving the Democratic party control in the Senate during the first two years of the upcoming Biden presidency.
Abrams herself has signaled that she intends to run again for governor. The state of Georgia may not have been ready for Abrams in 2018, but the future of Georgia is brighter because of her work.
With voting rights prioritized, 2022 just may be the year that Georgia elects its governor of the people, Stacey Abrams.