Stacey Abrams Is One Step Closer To The Governor's Mansion
My bloodline is Southern bred, so I'm no stranger to the cultural biases of my non-ethnic peers. Unlike my grandparents, I was never told I couldn't drink from a "white" water fountain or was rejected from school due to my skin color despite by near-perfect GPA.
Though I haven't suffered the heinous crimes against my humanity based on my ethnicity as my ancestors have, I, like other millennial women of color, understand the culture of racial injustice that's been created in our society, and feel that I have a social obligation to impact change.
Using the tools and technology afforded to our social media centric generation, women are finding ways to not only publicly criticize the system, but to implement a new one that reflects equality. Among this group of revolutionaries is Stacey Abrams, the 44-year-old Democratic Spelmanite that has the potential to change the dynamic of our political system indefinitely.
Last night, Stacey Abrams was victorious against her opponent, Stacey Evans, in The Democratic gubernatorial primary and if she continues her winning streak, will become the first black woman to be US governor, ever. In Georgia, a state that's never had a female governor and is dominated by republicans, this is huge.
The election was nicknamed Stacey Abrams Vs Stacey Evans and has been called one of the nastiest Democratic primaries of 2018. Both candidates had a similar goal, uniting the party during the Trump Era, but executed using different strategies.
Abrams was consistent in her strategy of targeting minority and millennial voters, while Evans focused on winning over white swing voters. Abrams won 75% of the votes in the election, proving that the demographic that was once considered the minority now has a great deal of influence politically.
At her victory party last night, she said:
"We are writing the next chapter of Georgia history, where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired, Now let's go get it done."
As a daughter of two ministers and sister two five other siblings, Abrams noticed the discrepancies in the political system at an early age. The trailblazer got her start in politics in highschool when she acted as a volunteer for a congressional campaign and earned the job of a professional speechwriter.
After receiving her law degree from Yale, she ran for the Georgia House of Representatives in 2006, became minority leader in 2011, and is now on track to serve us some melanin magic from the governor's mansion.
According to Vox, it's extremely rare for a black woman to be elected into any elective office, Abrams victory would secure her position on a short-list of three other women, two of which are democrats. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, she said:
"My being a black woman is not a deficit. It is a strength. Because I could not be where I am had I not overcome so many other barriers. Which means you know I'm relentless, you know I'm persistent, and you know I'm smart."
Her current initiatives include running for president in 2028, and in the meantime rallying unregistered minority voters, thereby giving a voice to the voiceless. Women like Stacey offer hope that our grandchildren won't have to endure a system as corrupt as we or our grandparents have.
You go, girl.
Featured image by Getty Images
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images