On the heels of historic voter turnout in Georgia, Abby revisits her interview with Stacey Abrams back in July. In that conversation, Stacey outlined her bold strategy to fight voter suppression and educate communities about voting. And her work bore fruit, with Georgia flipping blue for the first time in a presidential race since 1992. Recounting her upbringing in Mississippi, the former Georgia House of Representatives minority leader describes the powerful example of citizenship and activism her parents set for their SIX children, as activists and citizens, even as they had struggled their whole lives for fair access to education, employment opportunities, and the voting booth. Oh, and when Abrams isn’t saving our democracy, she’s got a side hustle as a romance novelist.
Special Guest
Stacey Abrams
New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader
Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader. After serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Minority Leader, in 2018, Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, when she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Abrams was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States. After witnessing the gross mismanagement of the 2018 election by the Secretary of State’s office, Abrams launched Fair Fight to ensure every Georgian has a voice in our election system. Over the course of her career, Abrams has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, training and hiring young people of color, and tackling social issues at both the state and national levels. In 2019, she launched Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census and greater participation in civic engagement, and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the 2012 recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, and a current member of the Board of Directors for the Center for American Progress. Abrams has also written eight romantic suspense novels under the pen name Salena Montgomery, in addition to Lead from the Outside, formerly Minority Leader, and Our Time Is Now.
Stacey Abrams on Twitter and Instagram: @staceyabrams
Episode Links
- Fair Fight 2020
- FairCount.org
- Stacey Abrams says fighting voter suppression changed "the trajectory of the nation"
- Make Way For Ducklings: The Art of Robert McCloskey (MFA Boston)
- Stacey Abrams: I Know Voting Feels Inadequate Right Now (NY Times)
- 1,285 Proven Cases of Voter Fraud in America (Heritage Foundation)
- Stacey Abrams, Georgia Candidate For Governor, Has Strong Mississippi Roots (Hattiesburg American)