Stacey Abrams Profile picture
Sep 18, 2018 8 tweets 3 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
On the campaign trail, I often brag about my five siblings—because they're all extraordinary people.

My younger brother Walter is brilliant, dynamic, and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. He also struggles with a drug addiction and has been in and out of prison. #gapol
Around 5 yrs ago, we found out that Walter has bipolar disorder. He was first diagnosed in prison, but he likely first presented in high school. He went undiagnosed and untreated because my family lacked health care, the means to address his illness, & the language to discuss it.
Unable to access the help he needed, Walter self-medicated. Over the years, he made bad choices to support his drug habit, and he ended up in prison.

Walter’s ambition fell in the face of his addiction. And when he was released from prison, Walter stumbled & eventually returned.
The state of Mississippi, much like Georgia, does not offer substantive re-entry programs, and transitioning from prison back into society is impossible to do alone. #gapol
For my brother, "freedom" meant losing access to counseling and treatment—because, like Georgia, Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid. And when your last address is a prison, "freedom" means it's impossible to find a place to live and even harder to find a place to work. #gapol
In '16, GA had the 4th largest prison population in the US. Most of these people will eventually be released, and the question is this: Do we support & reintegrate them, or do we prepare them to go back—and how will we prevent the next generation of Georgians from joining them?
I believe if we truly are the Georgia we claim to be, we will welcome them with open arms. We will help them rehabilitate. We will help them reintegrate because we must be a state that believes in redemption. #gapol staceyabrams.com/vision/crimina…
For me, "criminal justice reform" isn't a slogan—it is personal, and a major part of our campaign.

I believe in Walter. I believe in GA. And I believe that together, we'll lead the way forward on this issue. For our families, our communities & our future. staceyabrams.com/vision/crimina…

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More from @staceyabrams

Aug 24, 2018
Make no mistake: You did this. Activists in South GA organized, collected signatures, & petitioned elected leaders. Folks elevated this story to the national level, ready to drive people they've never met to polling locations in a place they didn’t know before last week. #gapol
We celebrate this victory, but our work continues.

Many Randolph County residents will still have trouble voting on Election Day. Many more still don't have a reason to get out and try—and Randolph is but one of many GA counties considering plans making it harder to vote. #gapol
Decisions to close polling places are not a matter of cost, but a question of priorities. Your right to vote is priceless, and we have to keep fighting to protect it. Because any effort to suppress the vote or depress voter turnout should be met with outrage & action, not apathy.
Read 4 tweets
Aug 20, 2018
Efforts to suppress the vote & depress voter turnout are alive & well in Georgia.

In Randolph—a predominantly Black, rural, low-income county—the board of elections may cut the # of polling locations from 9 down to only 2.

Many would be forced to walk 10+ MILES to vote. #gapol
We are outraged, but we are not discouraged.

Your right to vote is yours. It is a right our ancestors fought and bled for, and we have no choice but to continue that fight.

It is time to pick a side, to pick up the baton, to fight like our future depends on it—because it does.
We can win, but only if we all step up right now.

To reach every voter, knock on every door, give rides to the polls. To fight until everyone knows the power of their vote, has a reason to use it, and sees what is at stake if they do not.

Join the fight: bit.ly/gablue
Read 6 tweets
Jun 27, 2018
Not-so-fun-fact: Every year Georgia doesn’t expand Medicaid, we miss out on $3 billion (billion, with a “B”) federal dollars meant to pay for Georgians' health coverage. That’s $8 million left on the table every day. Here's why that matters. 1/ gbpi.org/2018/georgia-r… #gapol
240k Georgians earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to receive subsidies available under the #ACA. They fall in a “coverage gap.”
Medicaid expansion would close that gap, providing health coverage to 473k more Georgians in '19. 2/ #gapol gbpi.org/2018/fast-fact…
But back to the $3 billion/year. The $8 million Georgia leaves on the table every single day could be used to keep our rural hospitals open, expand access to mental health care, and reduce our alarmingly high maternal and infant mortality rates. 3/ #gapol politics.myajc.com/news/state--re…
Read 6 tweets
Jun 4, 2018
I met Pam last year during one of many trips to Macon, Georgia.

Pam has two daughters on their way to college, one of whom was expecting. Like so many family members across Georgia, Pam planned to raise her grandchild while her daughter received an education. 1/ #gapol
As I talked with Pam, I watched her eyes sparkle as she spoke of all she wanted for her daughters and about their aspirations: One, to become an educator; the other, to work in law enforcement.

I couldn't help but wonder what Pam wanted for her own life. 2/ #gapol
When I asked, she looked at me like I was crazy. "I just told you everything that I want."

I clarified: "But Pam, what do you want for yourself?"

She paused. After a few seconds, she replied: "I don't know. No one has ever asked me that question before." 3/ #gapol
Read 8 tweets
May 26, 2018
The future is bright for Democrats in the Deep South.

Last night, I had the honor of joining Sen.@DougJones of Alabama, Georgia’s next lieutenant governor, @SarahRiggsAmico, my friend and colleague, @EvansForGeorgia, and @GeorgiaDemocrat at #StateDinner18. 1/ #TeamAbrams #gapol
In recent months, there has been a conversation about whether the Democratic Party is searching for its soul. We have a soul, and we’ve known where our soul is for a very long time. 2/ #gapol
Our soul lies with the workers who toil and wonder if they’ll ever make enough money to support their families. Our soul rests with the immigrants who hide in the shadows, lest they be stripped from their families. 3/ #gapol
Read 4 tweets

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