Category Archives: Envisioning the future

If the future isn’t what it used to be, what is it now? What could it be? Here we explore vision, units of measure, competencies and examples of the ways the future looks already.

The Unsung Superwomen Who Flipped Georgia Blue and Saved America

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Colorlines is not publishing again until February 1, so I’m passing on this important message from them which they shared with their subscribers.

A week has passed since the insurrection on Capitol Hill, where rioters staged a violent, failed coup attempt to overthrow the will of the people and discount the voices of millions of Black and Brown voters. We briefly addressed the riot in a social media post by framing it in a historical context. Now we want to draw your attention to the Black women and other organizers of color who have been instrumental in turning the tide against ongoing political oppression.

Stacey Abrams has become the face of the groundbreaking, multiracial coalition, led by Black women, against voter suppression in the South, and justifiably so. Long before the historic 2020 elections, Abrams had boots on the ground, strategizing, organizing and connecting with voters on issues that matter to them the most. What we witnessed in Georgia is a true testament to the enduring power of grassroots organizing, and a model for investing in communities of color and local leaders, not just around election time, but all-year-round.

But Abrams is not alone in her longstanding fight to dismantle racist practices and empower voters. She stands among throngs of organizers and volunteers, many unknown, who have fought the good fight and continue to do so in the face of a system that seeks to dehumanize us and deny our rights. So today we are turning the spotlight on a few organizers and movement makers who have worked tirelessly to chart a new course in voter registration and engagement.

MEET THE ORGANIZERS

“The polls are now closed, but the work WILL continue. We are undoing a history of suppression and injustice in Black and Brown communities. The changes that we are now seeing didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t solved with just one vote.” -Nse Ufot, CEO, The New Georgia Project

“After we saw a state like Georgia, that had been solid Republican, flip in November, I think it opened up an avenue for people to see what was possible, that it was no longer a question or a debate whether Black voters, in fact, matter.” -LaTosha Brown, Co-founder, Black Voters Matter
“We all bring our lived experiences to this work, and I do that as a Southerner, a woman, a mom of a 5-year-old, and as an advocate. I wanted to reach out to voters who felt unseen and unheard. Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party and are no longer willing to sit on the sidelines.” -Rep. Nikema Williams, Georgia’s 5th Congressional District
“We are trusted stakeholders on the ground—we are a 15-, 16-year-old organization, and people trust us, because we’re here all the time. We do 365 days of voter registration, along with our partners, so that they know, when we come to them, we’re coming from a place of authentic engagement with them.” -Deborah Scott, Executive director, Georgia Stand-Up
“We were only able to mount this operation because we have been here. Mijente is on our 3rd electoral cycle in GA. Base-building + Infrastructure + History matters.” -Tania Unzueta Carrasco, Political director, Mijente
“A lot of what we do is trying to make sure that voter information is accessible to immigrant communities. Language justice is such a huge thing, and a lot of the electoral information is only available in English. We’ve been fighting to change that, but it’s an uphill battle.” -Esther Lim, Organizing and civic engagement director, Asian-Americans Advancing Justice in Atlanta

Other organizers include Helen Butler (The Coalition for the People’s Agenda), Tory Gavito (Way to Win), Yterenickia “YT” Bell (Care in Action), Melanie L. Campbell (The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Black Women’s Roundtable), Tamieka Atkins (Pro Georgia and The Women of Color Initiative), Lauren Groh-Wargo (Fair Fight), and so many more!

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