Name: Stacey Abrams
Occupation: Lawyer and Activist
Location: Atlanta
How We Know Her: The politician who was robbed of becoming Georgia’s first Black governor.
Why We Chose Her: She’s a rising star within the Democratic party, and working to make sure every vote is counted in future elections.
What’s Next: The Georgian continues to push for parity in voter access via Fair Fight, and may be looking for another battle of her own in a push towards the white house.
IG: @staceyabrams
What do you say about a person who needs no introduction? Stacey Abrams, who is arguably the Democrats’ brightest star, is a force to reckoned with on multiple levels. And while the history she made as Georgia’s first Black woman nominated to be governor for a major political party, there is much more to her story than that.
The 45-year-old who could quite possibly be the Democratic nominee’s vice presidential candidate – or, as many of her followers wish, the next Democratic nominee for president – has reinvented herself as a champion for voting with her Fair Fight, a group she founded after being on the wrong end of aggressive and partisan voter suppression. As a result, Fair Fight was started to encourage people to vote as well as to make voters aware of their rights at the polls.
It is from that resilient spirit of Abrams’ that she was selected to be part of this year’s Creative Class – because she created a brand new lane for herself while staying increasingly relevant as a potential future candidate for political office (even though she said she’s ruled out running in 2020). She is one of the brightest political innovators pointing the culture in the right direction in a time when we need all the guidance we can get.
Perhaps most importantly, for her, the fight against voter suppression is a personal one, showing that her commitment to ending that evil force was all but unrivaled in an era where voting – on municipal, state and federal levels — has been compromised to devastating effects. We always knew we needed someone like Stacey Abrams on our team fighting for an even playing field in a game that has been rigged against our favor.
