In the past year, one could not talk about midterm elections, without uttering the name Stacey Abrams. From CNN to TIME Magazine, Stacey has been taking the nation by storm with her plans to turn Georgia's radical red to a tranquil blue.
The race to be the next governor of Georgia has heated up since the primaries earlier this year, and some of the country's biggest stars made their way down south to campaign. Rapper Ludacris and producer Will Packer helped raise over $300,000 when they threw a supporter party at Packer's home. Those in attendance included Chris Tucker, Tiffany Haddish, Kelly Rowland, Marlon Wayans, LeToya Luckett, Marsai Martin, and Tyrese Gibson.
This past Thursday (November 1), Oprah Winfrey hosted two town hall events in Decatur and and Marietta. This is a considered a rare endorsement as the media icon has mostly avoided politics. Her two most recent endorsements were Obama in 2008 and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
And Stacey isn't without her own presidential star power, arguably her biggest endorsement to date, former President Barack Obama went to Georgia and held a rally in her name at Morehouse College on Friday (November 2).
With a deadlock race for governor -- Stacey is currently polling 46.9% and Brian Kemp polling 46.7% -- Stacey has a chance of becoming the first black female governor in U.S History. If she can earn 50% plus one vote that is. Otherwise, Georgia is headed for a runoff election—meaning the race would drag on into December, which is not desirable for either candidate.
So, with this knowledge and all that is at stake, it's no wonder that voters are looking towards Stacey's background and vision to further solidify which candidate gets their votes on November 6. With the hope this political season is a little less strenuous for all, learn some things about Stacey Abrams that you might not have known before.
Her Background
TIME Magazine
Stacey Abrams and her five siblings grew up in a lower middle-class household in Gulfport, Mississippi. Despite struggling to make ends meet, her parents had an indefatigable commitment to providing educational opportunity for their children, which led the family to Georgia.
Stacey and her younger siblings attended DeKalb County Schools, and she graduated from Avondale High School. She went on to receive degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School.
Putting her education to work, Stacey became the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly and the first African American to lead in the House of Representatives. As House Minority Leader, Stacey fought to better the lives of Georgians through government, nonprofit, and business sectors.
For her staunch support of working families, Stacey has received the Friend of Labor award and also earned an A-rating from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in the same year. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and she is the proud 2012 Grand Champion of the Georgia National Fair Legislative Livestock Roundup. Stacey has received recognition from the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Georgia), the National Urban League, EMILY's List, and Planned Parenthood.
"Like most who are underestimated, I have learned to over-perform and find soft but key ways to take credit," she said. "Because ultimately, leadership and power require the confidence to effectively wield both."
Her Vision
Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP
Like Stacey has stated in the past, "We must cease being participants in our own oppression."
With a vision like no other, Stacey Abrams plans to rise up and has 12 main issues she intends to fight while in office. Here are the top six:
Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is essential to ensuring that every family has the freedom and opportunity to thrive. Stacey Abrams understands that the challenges impacting access to affordable housing are different across communities; particularly in the city of Atlanta, where the income inequality rate is the highest in the country. As a result, Stacey is committed to partnering with local governments to develop solutions that will ensure the success of every community in Georgia.
Education
According to U.S. News & World, Georgia ranks #31 in Education overall, and #35 in PreK-12 Education. With the knowledge that education is a key to economic mobility and future success, Stacey is committed to investing in increasing Georgia's national ranking by addressing the needs of the whole child, from cradle to career. This will begin with high quality, affordable childcare and pre-kindergarten programs, continue through fully-funded public schools, and on to post-secondary opportunities in actions that ensure success.
Energy and Environment
Stacey has strived to protect Georgia's natural resources and communities from hazardous waste that often is left unchecked. Supporting greater oversight of petroleum pipelines, sponsored legislation to ensure funds for hazardous waste clean-up, and advocating for policies that address climate change, Abrams plans to strengthen environmental protection for all Georgians.
Equal Rights
Full inclusive equal rights ensure that Georgia is building on a strong economy that works for everyone. Stacey Abrams intends to advocate for all communities and believes in treating every person with basic human dignity and respect.
Gun Safety
The number of mass shootings in the US this year has already reached 297. In the city of Atlanta, at least 50 police shootings have occurred. It is beyond time for sensible gun policies that enable responsible ownership but also keep firearms away from people who would use them to harm others or themselves. Stacey is committed to working collaboratively with law enforcement, community partners, the legislature, and the criminal justice system to protect Georgia's communities.
Health Care
Stacey believes it is essential for every Georgian to be able to access affordable healthcare. With plans to expand Medicaid, she intends to provide access to healthcare for all Georgians, create more than 50,000 jobs, expand mental health support groups and resources, and protect rural hospitals from closure.
To find out more about Stacey Abrams's vision, click here and get to reading.
Now the most important question, will you rock your vote on Election Day?
Featured image by AP Photo/John Bazemore
RELATED
Okay, but is that actually true — or is the thrill of a honey packet in folk’s heads more than anything? And if it does actually work, is there anything that you should be concerned about before giving a honey packet a shot? These are the questions that I am going to try and answer for you today, my friend. Because, although I truly am an ally of you having the best time possible in your bedroom, I also want it to come with as few side effects or unexpected surprises as possible.
Honey packets. Let’s get into it.
Why Are Everybody and Their Grandma Raving About Honey Packets, Chile?
Video credit: @blackcircuitmedia via TikTok
Okay, so the video that you just watched? Oh, believe you me, there is PLENTY where that came from. LOL, shoot, even offline, I’ve had people personally sing praises to me about certain honey sticks and honey packets. However, the one that, by far, seems to get the most standing ovations — umm, so to speak — is Royal Honey. If you’ve never tried it (or even heard of it) before, what makes Royal Honey such a big damn deal? Well, according to the website, it is designed to give men increased testosterone levels and longer erections.
When it comes to the version that is made for us ladies (Royal Honey’s site also sells the Pinky P*ssy Gummies that some of you may have seen before), it’s supposed to help regulate our hormones, help to tighten vaginal muscles and enhance sexual pleasure.
As far as the reviews on the site go, there are consistent five stars on many of the product pages. That’s cool. Okay, but did you know something that I didn’t see listed? THE INGREDIENTS. At least on the main website that I checked out, if you look under the description and additional information tabs, nothing is said about what is actually in the Royal Honey brand that is helping everyone and their granny to climb all of the walls in their house.
And so, y’all, already out of the gate, as awesome as it is to have some of the best orgasms ever, thanks to a lil’ pack of honey, not knowing exactly what’s causing them? Yeah, you should be pretty concerned about that, especially since the FDA is.
So, Why Do Some Health Experts (Including the FDA) Frown Against Them?
GiphyAnd that brings me to the serious side of Royal Honey. Because social media had been raving so much about honey packets, apparently, it caused health experts — including the FDA — to wanna see what’s going on, and you know what? They weren’t exactly thrilled about what they discovered. For one thing, one article that I checked out said that it took a “lab analysis” to find out what was even in Royal Honey, to begin with (which pretty much confirmed the red flag that I shared about there being no listed ingredients on the site or packaging). What was discovered is there is a drug known as tadalafil in it.
And just what is that? Tadalafil is a type of medication that is used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). It does this by increasing blood flow to a man’s penis. Okay, so a man takes something that will make his penis stay hard for a longer period of time. No problem, right? Chile, listen. Even with people who have ED, they are advised to alert their healthcare provider before consuming tadalafil if they have a history of blood, liver, heart, or kidney disease, if they struggle with high or low blood pressure, or if they have diabetes. Oh, and if a woman is trying it out, she should let her physician know if she’s pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive.
Beyond that, there are certain medications that shouldn’t be mixed with tadalafil, like (high) blood pressure meds, medications for prostate issues, treatments for HIV, and even grapefruit juice shouldn’t be mixed with it. And again, if you’re a woman, prescriptions like fluconazole (which treats yeast infections) should not be taken with the drug. Plus, tadalafil can potentially jack up your or your partner’s nitrates. This matters because nitrates are compounds that can increase blood flow, which makes them a good thing.
The flip side to the nitrate coin, though, is they can also cause your blood pressure to become dangerously low — and that can potentially lead to weakness, blurred vision, dizziness, heart damage, or strokes. Lawd, this is what’s in the beloved Royal Honey packets — and again, the manufacturers don’t appear to be very upfront about it. Shady boots that want y’all to knock boots. For shame, for shame.
Is Honey An Aphrodisiac, Though?
GiphyIn fact, all of this is a part of the reason why honey is mentioned in the article, “12 'Sex Condiments' That Can Make Coitus Even More...Delicious.”
Still, this doesn’t mean that if you suck on the tip of one of those honey teddy bear bottles that you see at the grocery store, you’re going to end up with the same close-to-immediate extreme results that Royal Honey is able to give you — again because there is a damn drug in it. So, you should be real with yourself about that.
Also, I should mention here that, of course, there are other honey packet brands on the market. For instance, Black Thai Honey seems to get a fair share of attention, and I’ll at least give it props for letting its customers know that it contains ingredients like maca, ginseng, and bueta superba (an herb that also treats ED) in it. Still, drugs are drugs, and herbs are herbs, and it’s always a good idea to alert your doctor if you’re about to add something new to your system — just to be on the safe side.
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Aight y’all, if you were paying close attention, I’m sure you noticed that there is nothing “oddly spectacular” about honey packets. Apparently, the ones that seem to work the quickest and most intensely share the common thread of some sort of something that treats erectile dysfunction — and if you don’t have that issue, you should be careful about taking something that is used specifically for it.
That said, honey packets are so deeply ingrained in sex culture these days, that I already know that folks aren’t gonna stop using them, no matter what I (or the FDA) say. Hell, at this point, I’m just glad that you literally know what you’re getting yourself into.
And if Royal Honey is something that you use or want to try, at least give a little bit of side-eye to something that has a drug in it and yet prefers not to mention or discuss it with its customers. You know what they say — even when it comes to sexual enhancements…when something seems too good to be true, there can be some truth to that.
Bottom line: Have fun, yes. More importantly, BE SAFE.
Whew. Honey packets, included, please.
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Featured image by WLADIMIR BULGAR/Getty Images