Dear MoveOn member,
Stacey Abrams here. This past week, as we saw Donald Trump hide behind a four-page summary of a two-year investigation written by his own appointee, I was reminded of my run for governor.
Yes, the current system is rigged. There is no doubt about it. It is deeply inappropriate that Attorney General William Barr, an avowed partisan who in part auditioned for his current job by disparaging the Mueller investigation, tasked himself with summarizing the findings of that investigation. It is like having your brother summarize your report card to your parents, and we should all be extremely suspicious of what is going on behind the scenes.
Whatever happens with the full Mueller report, it won't stop Donald Trump and his administration from abusing our democracy and flouting every rule in the book. And it won't stop the daily, vicious attacks from this administration and other right-wing Republicans around the country against our most fragile communities and our vulnerable democracy.
What will stop Trump and his allies? Standing up, fighting harder, building up leaders within our movement who can inspire us to push forward, and, ultimately, taking back power.
I believe that each and every one of us has the ability to be a leader, no matter what adversity we have faced or what challenges we see in front of us. And we need leaders at all levels, not just candidates for governor or president. We need people who will lead in their workplace, faith community, and neighborhood association. Because real change doesn't come from politicians or government; it comes from the people. It comes from the OUTSIDE.
That is why I wrote my new book, "Lead from the Outside," to share my own experience and give practical advice to others on how to take charge and fight for change. Want a copy?
I saw first-hand what it was like to go up against a rigged system in Georgia, with my opponent Brian Kemp also serving as secretary of state and responsible for overseeing our election. I felt the acute frustration of challenging a system built to consolidate power at the top and keep the rest of us down.
But I also experienced the absolute joy of meeting people all across my state of Georgia—young and old; Black, white, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander; rich and poor and in-between; LGBTQ and straight;; rich or poor or in-between; LGBTQ or straight; and Georgians with disabilities—some who are longtime activists and many brand new to the fight all coming together to work toward a better future.
I saw what it was like to have people from around the country fighting with us, like the MoveOn members who endorsed me at a critical moment, volunteered, and raised over $1 million to help power my campaign!
And it was that inspiration, that unbreakable sense of hope, that has kept me going through it all—and it's what makes me certain now that even if things seem dark, we can and will overcome when we work together, claim power for ourselves, and fight for change.
In my book, I offer a practical guide for anyone to jump in and become a leader, and I believe that you can be one of those leaders, Eddie.
Running for governor in a rigged process and watching my opponent get away with refereeing his own election was hard. Watching Donald Trump ruthlessly and recklessly attack our democracy, further inflame the deep racism, sexism, and bigotry already rampant in our nation, and flout the law—and, so far, get away with it—has been infuriating and disheartening.
But we cannot lose hope. We can win together. Watching regular people from around our country rise up to fight back, from community leaders in small towns organizing their neighbors to activists taking on entrenched interests and winning seats in Congress, has given me so much hope.
We are not giving up or giving in; we are fighting back. We are fighting for a better future, and I believe that we will succeed.
Thanks for all you do.
–Stacey Abrams
Want to support MoveOn's work without getting a book? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your support, now more than ever. Will you stand with MoveOn?
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This email was sent to Eddie Alfaro on March 29th, 2019. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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