This Is Stacey Abrams' Country, We're Just Living In It.
Stacey Abrams has taught me that exceptionalism alone doesn’t guarantee you a seat at the table; gall does. Because when you’re a Black woman, it isn’t enough to be valedictorian of your graduating high school class. It isn’t enough to earn a law degree from an ivy league law school. It isn’t enough to be the first Black woman nominated as a gubernatorial candidate by a major party. It isn’t enough to be a New York Times best selling author. It isn’t enough to be selected as the first woman ever to deliver the Democratic Response to the State of the Union Address. And it isn’t enough to be one of the most notable figures charged with rehabilitating democracy. To some, your competencies will always be insufficient.
One of the most invaluable lessons that I’ve learned from Stacey Abrams and the trajectory of her career is that what may be discounted as an ominous “reality” actually presents an opportunity to persecute and disrupt the framework that allows for the condition, in question, to exist. Please remember…that “reality” is not a reflection of you nor is it your burden to bear.
Stacey’s sober and candid mien, typically adorned in an oscillating smile, has played a role in her ability to garner the trust of America’s rising electorate. She exudes a degree of judiciousness that many aspire to, but few have achieved. The multi-hyphenate crusader for democracy has been shockingly honest about who she is and what it is that she wants. She has made her motive decidedly known, and she’s been methodical and consistent in her pursuit. Stacey’s ‘why’ is simple: she aims to act and empower a transformative electorate to realize, engage and exploit their potential to systemically enforce sustainable change in our nation’s institutions.
Stacey Abrams is committed to seeing America’s glass as half full. Her legacy is her idealism. She appreciates our nation’s potential and operates as the most quintessential private citizen—exhausting every avenue granted by governing laws and policies to emphasize those most essential to America’s utility: us.
Stacey’s detractors might argue that her pragmatism has been misdiagnosed as optimism, but they’re wrong. She only sees the value in fighting back because she believes that victory for the American people is attainable. Thankfully, her participation hasn’t been deterred by blatant injustices. There’s an admirable romanticism behind her participation and advocacy. Abrams anchored her mission during her rebuttal to the State of the Union Address as she recalled the inspiration behind her gubernatorial campaign, “My reason for running for governor was simple: I love our country and its promise of opportunity for all, and I stand here tonight because I hold fast to my father’s credo— together, we are coming for America, for a better America.” It’s safe to say that she isn’t fearful of retribution, instead, she’s emboldened by it. She is fueled by her commitment to social and economic justice, protecting voting rights, Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, humane and compassionate immigration policies, repealing the Republican-led tax bill, quality education for all, climate change, and many more progressive actions.
I’ve read Abrams’ books Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change and Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America, and I’d have to say the most insightful lessons I’ve learned from Ms. Abrams weren’t carefully contrived by her in these books, but rather they’ve been omnipresent in the audacity of her actions. She currently serves in her most emblematic role yet—antithesis to the white man, more specifically, Donald Trump.
She effortlessly embodies representation, accountability and grit. The contrast between Abrams and Trump were hard to ignore in their most publicized showdown yet—the State of the Union. After the event, The Atlantic published an article that acknowledged the disparity in both actors, “In Trump, Abrams found not only a dispositional opposite, but a natural foil for her voting-rights agenda.” Stacey used her moment responsibly, and her condemnation of the Trump Administration and authoritarian populism was accompanied by it’s antidote—well-functioning democracy.
A lot of us were first introduced to Stacey Abrams on the campaign trail of her gubernatorial bid in 2018. She incited the nation’s attention as the first Black woman to be nominated for the position in any state. But it wasn’t until she “lost” the election that we learned the essence of Stacey Abrams. The election results, reminded us of a truth that we’ve been taught since we were children— the “winner” isn’t always the player acknowledged as such. The actual winner is generally the most noble player; the actor with the most integrity that has motivation greater than ego and self-interest. Or, in the words of fellow Atlantan, Linnethia “Nene” Leakes, “You can never win when you’re dirty, honey!” Her victory? Her campaign single-handedly changed the composition of the electorate in Georgia— tripling Latinx, Pacific Islander and Asian-American participation; galvanizing the highest percentage of white Democratic votes the state has seen in decades. Oh, and she helped oust Donald Trump from the presidency in the 2020 election.
I am incredibly inspired by Stacey’s resilience. In her book, Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America, she admits that after she allowed herself time to sulk following the outcome of her election was publicized, “By day six, I decided to skip over acceptance and go straight to the next stage that I like to call plotting.” She went on the start various organizations that confront voter suppression, voter engagement, the census, and policy ideas.
As a Black woman, watching her re-commit to doing the work that inspires her in an even more intentional way and her refusal to concede to her gubernatorial opponent, Brian Kemp, teaches us all an important lesson in self-advocacy. She was very diplomatic in her non-concession speech, “Concession means to acknowledge an action is right, true or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede. But my assessment is that the law currently allows no further viable remedy.”
Black women are castigated when we aren’t compliant with expectations that we should be respectable, subdued and mild-mannered. It is my observation that the most powerful women are those that reject those standards. I watched in awe as Stacey Abrams maintained her posture without mitigating her position by being coy, “I’m supposed to say nice things and accept my fate. They will complain that I should not use this moment to recap what was done wrong or to demand a remedy. As a leader, I should be stoic in my outrage and silent in my rebuke. But stoicism is a luxury and silence is a weapon for those who would quiet the voices of the people, and I will not concede because the erosion of our democracy is not right.” (IKDR!!!)
Stacey Abrams instruction in self-advocacy didn’t end there. Many suspected that she may place a bid for the presidency in the 2020 election, but when she relinquished her opportunity to enter a large pool of candidates, she received speculation that she might be Joe Biden’s running mate. Consistent with the imposition of unfair standards on Black women, she was criticized for being forthright about her favorable opinions regarding the possibility. In true Stacey Abrams-fashion, when confronted about her VP “campaign” on radio talk-show The Breakfast Club, she responded “I never campaigned for the job, I answered questions. And apparently, being honest is not supposed to happen. I don’t believe in denying my ambition, because I’m not just speaking for myself, I’m speaking for every Black and Brown girl who’s ever wanted more. And people— I can’t assume people will give me the benefit of the doubt. I’ve got to give myself the platform. If you ask me a question, I’m going to give you an answer. And I— I’ve always tried to be candid and I was candid then.”
Stacey Abrams exuded an unreal level of grace when it was announced that Kamala Harris would be Joe Biden’s running mate, despite guided belief that vice presidency was her position to fill. Though, she wasn’t vindictive, instead she did everything in her power to ensure that their ticket received Georgia’s 16 consequential electoral votes. She regained notoriety yet again, and her efforts were appreciated and applauded. For context, Georgia hasn’t elected a Democratic candidate in almost thirty years. Her efforts along with many others also forced Georgia’s Senate race into a runoff. This election has consumed Abrams since the Presidential Election.
I think it’s important for everyone to take cues from Stacey Abrams, especially Black women that have aspirations unrealized by burdensome limitations on what is acceptable or which aspirations lie within the bounds of status quo. Stacey Abrams possesses gall, and if we plan to get anything done, we must personify it too. In her own words, “Power requires a conscious effort on our part to move our own lives to where we want them to be, because we’ve got to move against what has historically been defined as the way we should live our lives or inhabit this space.”
