Politics

Stacey Abrams Talks Candidly on Race, Political Power in U.S.

WASHINGTON INFORMER — Stacey Abrams, 45, made history last November in her effort to become the nation’s first African-American female governor.

Published

7 years ago

February 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By D. Kevin McNeir

Stacey Abrams, 45, made history last November in her effort to become the nation’s first African-American female governor — a race that she lost by the slimmest of margins and whose results — that is the validity of the outcome — remain “questionable” to many Americans — Black and white. Her campaign initiated a new national conversation about the importance of voting rights by shining a light on voter suppression efforts in Georgia. As a result, there is a new focus on ending what Abrams calls “systematic disenfranchisement” of African-American voters and other voters of color in America.

As she indicated during a provocative conversation held on Feb. 15 at the Brookings Institution in Northwest, a public policy think tank founded in 1916, her defeat and scurrilous conditions and circumstances behind her loss, have only served as an impetus for her to become even more involved in leading the charge against voter suppression. Joined by Jelani Cobb, she discussed the increasing political power of African Americans after the 2018 elections and the tensions that may arise as the African-American electorate and candidates claim more political space.

“I was raised to understand that the process of voting is directly tied to the kinds of policies we want to see, so voter suppression is more than saying ‘you can’t vote,’” she said. “Voter suppression is physical activity and psychic events that tell you not to use it — done in three ways — the Georgia ‘trifecta.’”

“First, there’s registration and impediments like it being hard to get on rolls, making it difficult for you to use a third party, the requirement that your name has to exactly match (ID and the voter’s registration card/data base) — something that impacted 53,000 voters in Georgia who were denied their right to vote by the employ of this law, 93 percent of whom were people of color and the requirement in Georgia that immigrants had to use their alien number — a violation of federal law,” she said.

“Also, some states still have ‘use it or lose it’ laws, something that was addressed in a recent lawsuit in Ohio, that allows states to remove voters from the rolls if they haven’t voted in a certain amount of time.”

“Second, ballot access, if voters did not request an absentee ballot in Georgia. Of 300 precincts in the state, 214 were shut down, making it more difficult, if not impossible for those with transportation to get to their closest polling location.”

Third, counting the ballots. Voters could not be sure that their vote was counted as some counties in the state threw away ballots due to “discrepancies” with their signature or for simple things like voters putting the date in the wrong place. Collectively, these are the ways that voter suppression works.

Cobb: How can these anti-democratic, racist practices continue to persist?

Abrams: They were never removed. They have just been perfected. It wasn’t until the 20th century that Native Americans were allowed to vote. One way to deny certain people the right to vote, specifically millennials, people of color and immigrants, and to therefore maintain control over public policy, is voter suppression. The insidiousness of voter suppression is that the laws allowed things to proceed in the GA election — what was done was perfectly legal — but could not be considered ethical or moral. Remedies remain limited you have people to change the policies — so, it’s a vicious cycle.

“The crisis of our day is we live in a nation where those in power use the law to undermine the very lawmaking process we both desire and deserve,” she said.

Abrams’ ‘Fair Fight’ Initiative

Abrams recalls that while on Nov. 6, the race remained too close to call, she began receiving a host of cries and calls for her concede. She says she couldn’t.

“We kept getting calls and calls about those who’d had difficulty exercising their right to vote,” she said. “In places where the majority of voters were Black, many reported being forced to stand in line for up to four hours. Some could not afford to stay in line that long because they had to return to work. Students at the AU Center were denied provisional ballots because polling places ran out of paper.”

“The night of the election, I demanded that every vote be counted because I understood that my campaign was premised on being a vote for people who had not been seen or heard. It wasn’t about the outcome. Still, we filed lawsuits and made incremental progress vs. the other side that had allegedly been destroying ballots. By Nov. 16, we were able to show that voter suppression was real. We got 50,000 calls. But imagine how many did not call or didn’t know they could call.”

“My campaign wasn’t the only one to face this — I was just the one getting the most attention. I chose not to respond with anger or sorrow but rather with action. I was raised not to just identify problems but to look for ways to solve them. ‘Fair fight’ has become something I’ve chosen to address — this should not happen to anyone else.

Cobb: Are there really 500,000 unregistered Black voters in Georgia? Are they really there? They didn’t come out for Obama so I’ve been skeptical about that number. What goes into mobilizing these electorates? Is this applicable to progressives and people of color running in the South?

Abrams: I am partisan so my advice probably isn’t applicable for those who aren’t Democrats. That said, you have to start early. I had been laying the groundwork for seven years while a member of the Georgia Assembly. You have to send people out to community with cultural competence. You have to train people to do the work so that later they can be hired to work on other campaigns. and then be able to be hired by campaigns.

We were aware of and met with those representing multi-racial, multi-ethnic, religious or sexual orientations differences. We met with Black-owned newspapers and inquired how to get into their media. We held roundtables with LGBTQ communities, with African Americans and with Asians. Pundits criticized us for investing in reaching out to voters rather than spending our money with the mainstream media. But I’ve never believed in turnout models so I refused to spend time or money only with those historically proven as more likely to vote.

Abrams said, when asked about Donald Trump and his decision to declare a national emergency in order to secure funding for the building of his wall, “He hopes to gain political clout after having failed in the actual process but the judicial system will deal with that. But we cannot turn this into a 24-hour circus over why or why or how doesn’t understand how American politics work. We have to ignore him.”

As for her plans to run for U.S. Senate, she replied, “I do not know.”

“But I can say that being the first Black female candidate for governor in the U.S. was an eye-opener,” she said. “We tend to take for granted those things or people that have proven most reliable. Black women are among the highest demographic of consistent voters. And like our car, which we assume will always start, it’s been assumed that Black women will always vote and will vote in certain ways. But we need to really understand more acutely the consequences of our actions. A car needs consistent care — Black women require care as well, particularly given our long history of reliability when voting.”

“Running a campaign is hard, expensive and mean. In fact, those who were meanest to me said things like ‘I really believe you’re the best candidate.’ Then they whispered to me, ‘but you’re a Black woman,’” she said.

“We can ill-afford to hold pity parties by saying that voter suppression remains alive and well in the U.S. and that it negatively impacted the results of my run for governor. We have to talk about voter suppression every day, with every political pundit, with every reporter — every day.”

“As for the Democratic Party, they need to decide what issues are most important. They need to be authentic and tell the truth all the time. They need to be clear about what their vision is for America. As for those who say they don’t see color or decry identity of their constituency, they don’t deserve to be president.”

Abrams’ newest book, “Lead from the Outside,” is slated for release March 2019.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

D.C. Helps Returning Citizens with READY Assistance

Don't Miss

OP-ED: Justin Fairfax Deserves a Fair Hearing: When African American men are accused of rape, a sordid history is evoked

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Discrimination in City Contracts

The report was made public by Councilmember Carroll Fife, who brought it this week to the Council’s Life Enrichment Committee, which she chairs. Councilmembers, angry at the conditions revealed, unanimously approved the informational report, which is scheduled to go to an upcoming council meeting for discussion and action. The current study covers five years, 2016-2021, roughly overlapping the two tenures of Libby Schaaf, who served as mayor from January 2015 to January 2023.

Published

8 hours ago

February 13, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. Eleanor Ramsey (top, left) founder, and CEO of Mason Tillman Associates, which conducted the study revealing contract disparities, was invited by District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife (top center) to a Council committee meeting attended by Oakland entrepreneur Cathy Adams (top right) and (bottom row, left to right) Brenda Harbin-Forte, Carol Wyatt, and councilmembers Charlene Wang and Ken Houston. Courtesy photos.

Disparity Study Exposes Oakland’s Lack of Race and Equity Inclusion

Part 1

By Ken Epstein

A long-awaited disparity study funded by the City of Oakland shows dramatic evidence that city government is practicing a deeply embedded pattern of systemic discrimination in the spending of public money on outside contracts that excludes minority- and woman-owned businesses, especially African Americans.

Instead, a majority of public money goes to a disproportionate handful of white male-owned companies that are based outside of Oakland, according to the 369-page report produced for the city by Mason Tillman Associates, an Oakland-based firm that performs statistical, legal and economic analyses of contracting and hiring.

The current study covers five years, 2016-2021, roughly overlapping the two tenures of Libby Schaaf, who served as mayor from January 2015 to January 2023.

The amount of dollars at stake in these contracts was significant in the four areas that were studied, a total of $486.7 million including $214.6 million on construction, $28.6 million on architecture, and engineering, $78.9 million on professional services, and $164.6 million on goods and services.

While the city’s policies are good, “the practices are not consistent with policy,” said Dr. Eleanor Ramsey, founder and CEO of Mason Tillman Associates.

There have been four disparity studies during the last 20 years, all showing a pattern of discrimination against women and minorities, especially African Americans, she said. “You have good procurement policy but poor enforcement.”

“Most minority- and women-owned businesses did not receive their fair share of city-funded contracts,” she continued. “Over 50% of the city’s prime contract dollars were awarded to white-owned male businesses that controlled most subcontracting awards. And nearly 65% of the city’s prime contracts were awarded to non-Oakland businesses.”

As a result, she said, “there is a direct loss of revenue to Oakland businesses and to business tax in the city… There is also an indirect loss of sales and property taxes (and) increased commercial office vacancies and empty retail space.”

Much of the discrimination occurs in the methods used by individual city departments when issuing outside contracts. Many departments have found “creative” ways to circumvent policies, including issuing “emergency” contracts for emergencies that do not exist and providing waivers to requirements to contract with women- and minority-owned businesses, Ramsey said.

Many of the smaller contracts – 59% of total contracts issued – never go to the City Council for approval.

Some people argue that the contracts go to a few big companies because small businesses either do not exist or cannot do the work. But the reality is that a majority of city contracts are small, under $100,000, and there are many Black-, woman- and minority-owned companies available in Oakland, said Ramsey.

“Until we address the disparities that we are seeing, not just in this report but with our own eyes, we will be consistently challenged to create safety, to create equity, and to create the city that we all deserve,” said Fife.

A special issue highlighted in the disparity report was the way city departments handled spending of federal money issued in grants through a state agency, Caltrans. Under federal guidelines, 17.06%. of the dollars should go to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs).

“The fact is that only 2.16% of all the dollars awarded on contracts (went to) DBEs,” Ramsey said.

Speaking at the committee meeting, City Councilmember Ken Houston said, “It’s not fair, it’s not right. If we had implemented (city policies) 24 years ago, we wouldn’t be sitting here (now) waiving (policies).”

“What about us? We want vacations. We want to have savings for our children. We’re dying out here,” he said.

Councilmember Charlene Wang said that she noticed when reading the report that “two types of business owners that are consistently experiencing the most appalling discrimination” are African Americans and minority females.

“It’s gotten worse” over the past 20 years, she said. “It’s notable that businesses have survived despite the fact that they have not been able to do business with their own city.”

Also speaking at the meeting, Brenda Harbin-Forte, a retired Alameda County Superior Court judge, and chair of the Legal Redress Committee for the Oakland NAACP, said, “I am so glad this disparity study finally was made public. These findings … are not just troubling, they are appalling, that we have let these things go on in our city.”

“We need action, we need activity,” she said. “We need for the City Council and others to recognize that you must immediately do something to rectify the situation that has been allowed to go on. The report says that the city was an active or inactive or unintentional or whatever participant in what has been going on in the city. We need fairness.”

Cathy Adams, president of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, said, “The report in my opinion was very clear. It gave directions, and I feel that we should accept the consultant Dr. Ramsey’s recommendations.

“We understand what the disparities are; it’s going to be upon the city, our councilmembers, and our department heads to just get in alignment,” she said.

Said West Oakland activist Carol Wyatt, “For a diverse city to produce these results is a disgrace. The study shows that roughly 83% of the city contracting dollars went to non-minority white male-owned firms under so-called race neutral policies

These conditions are not “a reflection of a lack of qualified local firms,” she continued. “Oakland does not have a workforce shortage; it has a training, local hire, and capacity-building problem.”

“That failure must be examined and corrected,” she said. “The length of time the study sat without action, only further heightens the need for accountability.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

3 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Congresswoman Simon Votes Against Department of Homeland Security, ICE Funding

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

Published

3 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Post Staff

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) released a statement after voting against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

“Today, I voted NO on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13, 2026.

“ICE and CBP do not need more funding to terrorize communities or kill more people,” she said in the media release.

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

“The American people are demanding change. Poll after poll of Americans’ opinions show overwhelming support for requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and prohibiting them from hiding their faces during enforcement actions. This is the bare minimum transparency standard, and this funding legislation does not even meet this low bar,” Simon said.

“Republicans in Congress are not serious about reining in these lawless agencies. Their refusal to make meaningful changes to the DHS funding bill has consequences that go beyond immigration enforcement. TSA agents who keep our airports safe and FEMA workers who help our communities recover from disasters are stuck in limbo due to Republican inaction.

“The Constitution does not have an exception for immigrants. Every person on American soil has rights, and federal agencies must respect them. The East Bay has made clear at the Alameda County and city level that we will hold the line against a violent ICE force and support our immigrant communities – I will continue to hold the line and our values with my votes in Congress.”