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.
Stacey grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, one of six children whose parents had three tenets: go to church, go to school, and take care of each other. Her father, a shipyard worker, and mother, a college librarian, faced financial hardships of their own, yet they taught their children the value of service to others. No matter how much they struggled to make ends meet, Stacey and her siblings were taught that someone always had less and that it was their job to serve that person. Her parents were also steadfast in seeking the best possible educational opportunities – both for their children and themselves. Education and service, both which remain central to Stacey’s identity today, were the impetus for the Abrams family’s move to Georgia.
Stacey 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. 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, a guidebook on making real change.
While Stacey did not win her groundbreaking 2018 campaign for governor, she did not quit. She got right back to work because she understood that she didn’t need the title of governor to make a difference in the lives of Georgians. In between her two campaigns for governor, Stacey:
- Helped small businesses get the financing they needed to stay afloat
- Paid off the medical debt of 68,000 Georgians
- Raised funds to provide $1,000 checks to 100,000 families in need
- Helped expand access to COVID-19 tests and vaccines, especially in rural Georgia
- Advocated Medicaid expansion for 500,000+ Georgians and creation of 60,000+ Georgia jobs
- Convinced film executives to continue local productions and keep jobs in Georgia
- Delivered food and supplies to under-resourced food banks
- Supported families and communities that lost loved ones to gun violence
- Organized business leaders to take action on voting rights and the right to choose
- Developed progressive policy solutions for Georgia and other Southern states
- Campaigned and fundraised for progressive causes and Democrats in Georgia and beyond
- Founded top national voting rights organization focused on legislation, litigation and advocacy
- Launched and funded a 20-state program to recruit and train voter protection teams
- Provided funding to two dozen grassroots organizations mobilizing voters of color in Georgia
- Played a prominent role in Georgia Democrats’ historic 2020 and 2021 runoff victories
- Increased participation of hard-to-count populations for the 2020 U.S. Census
- Installed 100+ wireless internet stations across Georgia in under-connected communities
- Advanced policies to improve economic security, healthcare access, and environmental justice
- Re-watched episodes from the entire Star Trek franchise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Authored several new works of fiction and non-fiction
Stacey received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School. She and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi and were raised in Georgia.