“When people believe that more is possible, they are more likely to participate. And when they are aggrieved—when they know that someone is trying to take a right away from them—people are much more likely to use it. My mission is to make certain that voters in Georgia know what their rights are, and they know that they have the absolute ability to exercise that.”
-Stacey Abrams, episode 264 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
To start, a reflection on the week that was. Then, we return to our conversation with Stacey Abrams. She won her Gubernatorial primary this week in Georgia, where she hopes to unseat Brian Kemp this November.
We talk about the systemic challenges that small business owners face (6:32), the impact of Georgia’s new voting laws (11:20), the threat of election subversion (14:02), what a functional democracy could look like (16:48), the lessons learned from her 2018 bid for governor (19:31), and how she plans to win in 2022 (24:23).
On the back half, Abrams reflects on growing up in the south (29:50), her earliest political ambitions (35:10), and how literature has offered a human complexity not always granted to people in politics (40:18), especially Black women in positions of power (42:17). As we leave, Stacey shares a personal story about her first visit to the governor’s mansion (46:05), the need to move past tribalism (50:42), and why she still wants to be in this fight in 2022 and beyond (52:55).
Show-notes:
- For more about Stacey’s work, visit her website and Fair Fight Action.
- Donate to official GoFundMe fundraisers directly supporting the families of Uvalde victims.
- Or send a contribution through the League of United Latin American Citizens’ (LULAC) fund.
- To support locally in South Texas, here’s a comprehensive list of blood drives, mental health services, and community resources.
- Support Everytown for Gun Safety, a national organization working to prevent gun violence.
Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi.
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