WCW: Stacey Abrams

Welcome to my Woman Crush Wednesdays (WCW) where I’ll be celebrating the black women I stan (and you should too).

Black history is all around us—all day and every day. it’s just as (if not more) important to acknowledge that year-round versus doing so just in February, which is one of the many reasons I started these weekly WCW posts. That being said, my WCWs during Black History Month will be focused on black women who’ve recently made history or don’t get enough recognition for doing so in the past.

This week’s WCW is one of the few politicians that I feel comfortable endorsing. The powerful, upstanding, humble, and strong-voiced, Stacey Abrams, African-American politician and lawyer.

She ran for governor of Georgia in 2018 making her the first black female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the history of the United States.

On February 5, 2019 Stacey became the first black woman to give the Democratic response to the president’s state of the union address.

Abrams, who lost the 2018 Georgia governor's race, is the first African-American woman to give a response to a president's address.

She also served as Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017.

Stacey is also an award winning Romance Novelist under the name Selena Montgomery.

And presenter of what is probably my favorite Ted Talk titled “3 questions to ask yourself about everything you do.”

How you respond after setbacks is what defines your character. Stacey Abrams was the first black woman in the history of the United States to be nominated by a major party for governor -- she lost that hotly contested race, but as she says: the only choice is to move forward.

She’s also an HBCU grad as a magna cum laude graduate of Spelman College.

In a series of tweets during the State of the Union democratic response, Natasha Rothwell perfectly described the pride I feel every time I see Stacey, especially this one.

Look at @staceyabrams: hair natural, skin dark, shoulders back, chest out. #sotu

— Natasha Rothwell (@natasharothwell) February 6, 2019

Stacey, you are the embodiment of what I want my president and other political representatives to be from your platform and stances to your genuine personality and beautifully unapologetic blackness. I truly look forward to the day where I’ll have the opportunity to vote for you. Thank you for gracefully representing the black community and the true potential of our country. I appreciate the hope, love, and inspiration you put into the world as it’s had a profound impact on my life recently. I hope you know how many of us will always love and support you.