3 Black Women Carrying On Stacey Abrams’ Legacy By Getting Out The Vote

With midterm elections taking place nationwide tomorrow, November 8, 2022, our democracy stands at the precipice. Voter suppression is a huge concern. Various states have enacted 30 new voting restrictions since 2020, which will negatively impact the number of American citizens able to cast their votes — and are believed to predominantly target people of color.

Carrying on the legacy of Stacey Abrams, Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia who has over the course of her political career founded numerous organizations to fight for voting rights, here are three Black women dedicating themselves to protecting votes and increasing civic engagement among all Americans, and especially historically marginalized groups: Nse Ufot, CEO of New Georgia Project; Tamieka Atkins, executive director of ProGeorgia; and Stephanie L. Young, executive director of When We All Vote.

· Nse Ufot, CEO of New Georgia Project

The New Georgia Project (NGP) is a civic engagement organization dedicated to using culture, data, and technology, to build power and increase civic participation of Black, Latinx, AAPI, and young Georgians. CEO Nse Ufot began leading the Stacey Abrams-founded nonpartisan voting rights nonprofit based in Atlanta in 2014. She helped NGP to evolve from a way to get healthcare to all Georgians into an organizing home for people who historically have been left out of the political process.

Under Ufot’s leadership, NGP has helped register more than 600,000 voters across all 159 Georgia counties, opened 18 offices across the state, and developed apps and video games as ways to engage these previously marginalized or ignored voting communities including Black folks, Brown folks, young people, seniors, and LGBTQ+ folks.

Over the past seven years, Ufot has developed NGP into one of the leading civic organizations in Georgia. It serves as a model for other homegrown organizations across the country. Besides having worked tirelessly to register voters in advance of the midterms, the nonprofit also is offering free rides to the polls, a straightforward online voting guide, and a way for people to report any troubles they may face at their polling places tomorrow.

Nse Ufot has been featured in Time Magazine’s “Time 100 Next” list, and regularly participates in conversations about politics and voting rights in media outlets including CNN, NBC, Bloomberg and The Washington Post. She holds a law degree from University of Dayton and currently serves as political fellow at Harvard University.

· Tamieka Atkins, Executive Director of ProGeorgia

ProGeorgia is a state-based nonpartisan voter engagement advocacy organization and a member of the State Voices National Network of Tables, a network of nonpartisan coalitions that work together to create a more accessible, inclusive, and representative democracy. They coordinate the voter registration and civic engagement plans of over 35 partner organizations, providing them with infrastructure and capacity-building.

ProGeorgia's efforts have helped secure significant changes in Georgia, including wins in 2020 that helped flip the state blue for the first time in 30 years. Together, ProGeorgia and its partners have reached 4.7 million voters over 18 million times, with a specific focus on contacting Black voters. Nearly half of the voters contacted by ProGeorgia turned out at the polls.

As the executive director of ProGeorgia, Tamieka Atkins works tirelessly to uphold democracy and create a better world for her children. "I am a Black woman raising two daughters. Because of this, I’m always thinking about how we leave things better for them,” she says. “Women of color are holding up our democracy, leading the fight to ensure we all have full and complete access to the ballot, protecting our right to vote for generations to come.”

Prior to leading ProGeorgia, Atkins founded and led the National Domestic Worker’s Atlanta chapter, organizing domestic workers to advocate for respect and inclusion. Before that, she worked at Amnesty International.

“Civic engagement is how we have our voices heard, it is how we influence and steer our democracy and government to one that is truly representative of its people, a democracy that leans towards justice,” says Atkins. “I believe the role we and our partners play is about the notion of leaving things better. Shoring up our democracy is a small part in building that foundation.”

· Stephanie L. Young, Executive Director of When We All Vote

Stephanie L. Young serves as the executive director of When We All Vote, a nonpartisan voting initiative created by Michelle Obama. Prior to this, Young served as the organization’s chief communications and culture officer.

During her time with When We All Vote, Young has created and implemented a strategy that has helped to register over 500,000 voters and engaged with 100 million Americans in 2020 – the largest increase in voter participation in over 120 years. Under Young’s leadership, When We All Vote also created the #CouchParty with DJ D-Nice, the first ever virtual live voter registration event, which reached over 400,000 voters.

Young has more than 15 years of experience as a senior communications, engagement and content strategist. She enjoys building strong connections and developing creative solutions for issues involving culture, justice, politics and activism. During a term at the Obama White House, she served as associate communications director and senior public engagement advisor, leading press strategy and managing critical relationships for the President with members of the African American community.

“I grew up understanding and believing in the power of my voice and in the power of our collective voices,” Young says. “I saw my father use his voice until his dying breath for our collective good, for better days to come, and for justice, fairness and peace. Democracies don’t just happen. They are fought for through action, practice, diversity, our stories, and our culture. There is nothing more rewarding than using my gifts and talents to help expand and protect our democracy and empower more Americans to use their voices through their protest, advocacy, and vote to make the promise of what America could be the actual practice for us all.”