Stacey Abrams Seeks to Break Glass Ceiling as America’s First Black Woman Governor

Rep. Stacey Abrams says she has what it takes to usher in a new era in Georgia politics.

Abrams, 43, announced that she would be running for governor earlier this month. If Abrams is elected next year, she will become the first African-American female governor in American history, which makes her campaign monumental.

“I’m running right now because Georgia is changing,” Abrams told theGrio in an exclusive interview. “It is a state that is one of the most diverse in the nation. And that diversity can either be a powerful engine for us or it can cripple our ability to think about ourselves on the broadest and boldest terms.”

Andra Gillespie, a political science professor at Emory University, addressed the historical aspect related to Abrams’ campaign. Gillespie said that Abrams is her state representative.

“Stacey Abrams represents the Gen Xer so she represents a younger generation of black Georgia Democrats who are running and starting to become very prominent in statewide politics,” Gillespie told theGrio.

“What people like Stacey Abrams are saying is if the state party demographics are changing, and if minorities are the base constituency of the Democratic Party, then it’s important for blacks to be represented amongst the candidates and be represented prominently.”

This won’t be the first time Abrams has sought to make historic strides in politics. She is the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly and the first African-American to lead in the House of Representatives.

Growing up one of six children in a working class family in southern Mississippi, Abrams learned first-hand the importance of public service from her parents. And although Abrams’ parents struggled to make ends meet they still took the time to work in the nonprofit sector, in addition to working full-time jobs. Abrams says watching her parents serve other people’s families inspired her to get involved in politics.

“I wanted to be someone who helped deliver justice through the laws that we had on the books, who answered questions and solved problems,” Abrams said.

Before becoming a politician, Abrams interned at the White House in the Office of Management and Budget, worked on environmental racism…

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