Stacey Abrams Did THAT
Stacey Abrams did THAT. What did she do? It. The damn thang. All of the above. Last night, following the State of the Union, Stacey Abrams delivered the Democratic response to President Trump’s lackluster speech on the state of our country. It must be said that this was the first time that a black woman has ever been invited to deliver the Democratic response, and Stacey did not disappoint.
She was confident, poised, compelling, and sincere in every word that she said, and it could be because she wrote the speech herself. Standing with Georgia’s version of the United Nations on choir risers, Stacey dripped black girl magic as she spoke about the issues that ordinary Americans are facing today. In the words of one of my friends, “she represent[ed] how Democrats should be talking.” She didn’t shy away from calling a spade, a spade. She said voter suppression is real, talked about high maternal mortality rates, especially among black women, and even threw in a small neck roll when talking about Trump’s plans for a border. She wasn’t playing games; she was coming for throats.
Stacey Abrams came through like the guest pastor who comes to your church and lays the whole congregation out. She delivers, not a Word, but THE Word, and she knows all of the verses to “I Won’t Complain,” unlike your pastor who is still turning the mic towards the congregation on the second verse after 20 years. Watching her on my screen, I felt like a heathen child whose parents forced them to go to church and unexpectedly, the message is talking directly to you and your spirit. I found myself screaming “Take your time Stacey,” and there were several times during the speech that I thought somebody behind her was going to catch the Holy Spirit. Heads were nodding and murmurs of “yes” and “alright now” were happening everywhere because we knew that she was telling the damn truth.
I hope people realize that just because Stacey unfairly lost the gubernatorial race in November, she shouldn’t be counted out. She’s not going anywhere. She’s got what it takes, and in my opinion, her public speaking skills are far better than some of the people who have declared their candidacy for 2020. This was a great decision by the Democratic Party. It signaled to me that: 1) they are investing in Stacey’s future in their party and 2) they are finally listening to Black women, who are loyal, yet often ignored, supporters of the Democratic Party. Maybe they are finally learning from their past mistakes, I certainly hope so. In any case, I am damn proud of Stacey Abrams, and I know that she has an amazing future ahead of her.
