Stacey Abrams
Born 1973 · Age 52
American politician, lawyer, voting-rights activist, entrepreneur and author; served in the Georgia House (2007–2017), was House Minority Leader (2011–2017), founded multiple voting-rights organizations (including Fair Fight Action) and is a bestselling author.
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Life & Career Timeline
Family background: parents' activism and occupations (context)
Her mother Carolyn was a college librarian and later a Methodist minister; father Robert worked in a shipyard and participated in civil rights activism. (Contextual family background that shaped Abrams.)
Family moves to Gulfport, Mississippi (childhood)
Abrams spent most of her childhood in Gulfport, Mississippi; family later moved to Atlanta while she was in high school.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin
Stacey Yvonne Abrams is born to Robert and Carolyn Abrams in Madison, Wisconsin.
Family moves to Atlanta for parents' divinity studies
When Abrams was a junior in high school, her family moved to Atlanta so her parents could attend the Theological Seminary at Emory University.
Hired on a congressional campaign (typist → speechwriter)
At about 17, she worked as a typist on a congressional campaign; her edits led to a role as a speechwriter, an early political apprenticeship.
Selected for Telluride Association Summer Program
Abrams is selected for the prestigious Telluride Association Summer Program during high school.
Valedictorian of Avondale High School
Graduates Avondale High School as valedictorian; incident at the governor's mansion reception (guard told her she didn't belong) is formative.
Matriculated at Spelman College
Enters Spelman College (an HBCU in Atlanta) to study interdisciplinary studies (political science, economics, sociology).
Co-founded Students for African American Empowerment; protest activity
As a freshman, Abrams co-founded Students for African American Empowerment and participated in a protest burning the Georgia state flag (which incorporated the Confederate battle emblem).
Hired in Mayor Maynard Jackson's youth services office
Worked in the youth services department for Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson while in college.
Graduated Spelman College, magna cum laude (B.A.)
Earned a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies (political science, economics, sociology) from Spelman College, magna cum laude; named a Harry S. Truman Scholar (linked to graduate study).
Interned at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (college intern)
Internship at the EPA while an undergraduate (reported in multiple bios).
Founded Third Sector Development (nonprofit) — reported
Some sources indicate Abrams founded Third Sector Development, a nonprofit providing technical assistance to community organizations in the South (date cited as 1998 in some bios).
Earned M.P.A., LBJ School of Public Affairs (UT Austin)
Received a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin as a Harry S. Truman Scholar.
Began work as a tax attorney at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan
Worked as a tax attorney focusing on tax-exempt organizations, health care, and public finance (c. 1999–2003 in multiple bios).
Earned J.D. from Yale Law School
Graduated from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor; wrote her first novel during third year of law school.
Appointed Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta
At age 29, Abrams became deputy city attorney for Atlanta, leading attorneys and paralegals in the office.
Announced candidacy for Georgia House (District 84/89)
Ran for the Georgia House of Representatives after incumbent JoAnn McClinton did not seek reelection; won Democratic primary with 51% and avoided runoff.
Sworn in to Georgia House of Representatives
Assumed office representing Georgia House District 84 (later 89) beginning with the 2007 legislative session.
Elected House Minority Leader (Democratic caucus)
In November 2010 the Democratic caucus elected Abrams to succeed DuBose Porter as minority leader; she served as Minority Leader starting January 10, 2011.
Co-founded Nourish, Inc. (beverage company) — later rebranded
Abrams co-founded Nourish, Inc. in 2010; the company originally focused on beverages for infants/toddlers and later pivoted to invoicing solutions and rebranded as Now.
Co-founded NOWaccount Network Corporation (NOW Corp.)
Abrams co-founded NOWaccount (financial-services firm) in 2010 and served as senior vice president; company later known as NOW Corp.
Co-sponsored HOPE Scholarship reform legislation
As Minority Leader, Abrams co-sponsored 2011 legislation preserving the HOPE Scholarship by decreasing award amounts and funding a 1% low-interest loan program for students.
Received John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award
Awarded the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award by the Kennedy Library/Harvard Institute of Politics honoring an elected official under 40.
Founded The New Georgia Project (voter registration)
Established The New Georgia Project to register voters, particularly young people and people of color; project reported to have completed 86,000 new voter applications (NWHM) and >200,000 registered voters of color 2014–2016 (other sources).
New Georgia Project registers large numbers (multi-source stat)
Sources report New Georgia Project registered more than 200,000 voters of color in Georgia between 2014 and 2016 (EBSCO/biographies).
Resigned from Georgia House to run for governor
Abrams resigned from the General Assembly on August 25, 2017, to focus on her 2018 gubernatorial campaign.
Published Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside (print month Apr 2018)
Published her political leadership book (published April 2018); also released under title Lead from the Outside in some editions.
Won Democratic nomination for Governor of Georgia
Defeated Stacey Evans in the Democratic primary, becoming the first African-American woman to be a major-party gubernatorial nominee in U.S. history.
Began prominent national profile and speaking (TEDWomen 2018)
Spoke at TEDWomen (film date November 2018) and increased national visibility as a voice on voting rights and leadership.
2018 Georgia gubernatorial election (general) — Defeated narrowly
Lost the general election to Brian Kemp by 54,723 votes (50.2%–48.8%), a margin often cited as ~1.4 percentage points; controversy over voter-roll purges and alleged suppression followed.
Announced end of campaign; founded Fair Fight Action
Abrams announced she was suspending her campaign (did not concede) and announced the creation of Fair Fight Action to address voter suppression; federal lawsuit filed December 2018.
Founded Fair Count and Southern Economic Advancement Project (reported)
Following 2018, Abrams launched other organizations including Fair Count (2020 Census accuracy) and the Southern Economic Advancement Project (policy think tank) to broaden civic participation and economic policy in the South.
Michael Bloomberg contributed $5 million to Fair Fight 2020
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg committed $5 million to Fair Fight 2020 shortly after announcing his 2020 presidential run.
Selected to deliver Democratic response to State of the Union
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Abrams would deliver the response to the State of the Union on February 5, 2019; she became the first African-American woman to deliver the SOTU response.
Delivered 2019 State of the Union response
Gave the official Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union address (broadcast Feb 5, 2019).
Declined to run for U.S. Senate in 2020
Although recruited to challenge incumbent senator David Perdue, Abrams announced April 30, 2019 that she would not run for U.S. Senate in 2020, citing focus on voting rights.
Founded Fair Fight 2020 (voter-protection / assistance effort)
Announced Fair Fight 2020 to build voter protection teams in 20 battleground states; Abrams served as chair.
All In: The Fight for Democracy (documentary) shortlisted for Academy Awards
The documentary that featured Abrams (All In: The Fight for Democracy) was shortlisted for Academy Awards in 2020; her work in the film increased her profile in civic media.
Selected as one of 17 joint keynote speakers at the DNC
Abrams was selected as one of 17 speakers to jointly deliver the keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention (virtual/collective keynote).
Served as a presidential elector for Georgia
Following the 2020 election, Abrams served as one of Georgia's electors in the Electoral College.
Published Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America
Published nonfiction book Our Time Is Now (June 2020), which became a New York Times bestseller.
Credited with boosting Georgia turnout in 2020 elections
Multiple outlets credited Abrams and her organizations with helping register and turnout hundreds of thousands of Georgia voters—estimates include ~800,000 new voter registrations and a decisive boost that helped Biden and two Democratic Senate wins.
Now (formerly Nourish) Series A raises $9.5 million
Now (the invoicing / small-business product that evolved from Nourish) raised a $9.5 million Series A round in 2021 (company Abrams co-founded earlier).
Fair Fight Action fundraising totals reported
Reporting indicated Fair Fight (and related entities) raised roughly $61 million over the course of litigation and organizing (Fair Fight Action/Fair Fight 2020 combined fundraising across the period).
Fair Fight litigation: some claims resolved or dismissed (2020–2022)
Fair Fight Action's lawsuit (Fair Fight Action v. Raffensperger) began Dec 2018; portions were resolved by Georgia law changes, and a long bench trial culminated with mixed rulings by Oct 2022.
Romancing the Runoff & writing-driven fundraising
Abrams' fiction-writing community fundraising (Romancing the Runoff) used her author networks to raise funds for voting rights in Georgia (began around 2018–2020 and continued).
NAACP Image Awards and Emmy nomination (projects)
Abrams' projects received NAACP Image Awards (2021–2023) and she has been nominated for an Emmy (project/producer credits); All In documentary received awards attention in 2020–2021.
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
In February 2021 Abrams was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her voter-rights work.
Published While Justice Sleeps (fiction) under her real name
Legal thriller While Justice Sleeps was released on May 11, 2021 under the name Stacey Abrams (previous fiction had been under pen name Selena Montgomery).
Announced 2022 gubernatorial run (for second run)
On December 1, 2021 Abrams announced she would run again for governor of Georgia in 2022.
Published children's book Stacey's Extraordinary Words
Released a children's book in December 2021.
Won Democratic nomination (unopposed) for 2022 governor race
On May 24, 2022 Abrams ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and became the nominee to again face Brian Kemp.
First debate vs. Brian Kemp (2022 campaign)
Abrams and Kemp held the first of two scheduled debates on October 17, 2022 covering issues including abortion access and gun control.
2022 Georgia gubernatorial election — lost to Brian Kemp
Abrams lost to incumbent Brian Kemp on Nov 8, 2022 (Kemp 53.4% / Abrams 45.9% — Kemp margin ~7.5%). She conceded that night.
Published Rogue Justice: A Thriller (reported 2023)
Abrams published another thriller (Rogue Justice: A Thriller) in 2023 (reported in bibliographies/biographies).
Hired as Senior Counsel, Rewiring America
In mid-March 2023 Rewiring America announced Abrams was hired as senior counsel for the community electrification nonprofit.
Appointed Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair at Howard University
In April 2023 Abrams was appointed as the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics at Howard University.
Continued national activism and speculation about future runs
Abrams remained a major national voice on voting rights, civic engagement and Democratic politics; media continued to speculate about potential future runs for office.
Ongoing board and advisory roles (Center for American Progress, CFR, etc.)
Continues to serve on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards and is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations; active in multiple global policy forums.
Our Time Is Now placed on list of books banned by US Naval Academy library (Apr 2025 action)
In April 2025 the U.S. Naval Academy library banned 381 books under an executive order; Abrams' Our Time Is Now was listed among them (reporting source).
Key Achievement Ages
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