2019 in Politics

Wake Up America

After Stacey Abrams (GA) refused to concede to her opponent in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, the former House minority leader stole our hearts when she delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union Address on Feb. 5.

Gainesville Times

By Isaiah Robinson

From almost winning a highly-competitive election for Georgia governor, to taking America by storm in her response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address, Yale-educated lawyer and former Georgia Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams had one heck of a year.

Who would’ve thought a plus-sized, Black woman with kinky hair and a gappedtooth smile would scale the walls of politics with a huge base of supporters behind her?

She is not the traditional Black politician Americans have become accustomed to seeing at the podium, but her passion, care for the common people and boldness is a commodity that many Americans would arguably want as a leader.

Since the climactic election that left Abrams and now Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in a political brawl over voting issues, the Mississippi-native has kept her focus on battling obstacles affecting minority and young voters, creating the “Fair Fight Action” organization.

Moreover, Abrams took the opportunity at the Democratic State of the Union Address to respond to Trump, blasting him for the 35-day partial government shutdown, calling it a stunt that “defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people — but our lives.”

It should be noted, Abrams was the first African-American woman and non-sitting public official to deliver a rebuttal to a presidential address.

Since, Abrams continues to garner national attention, with television appearances on shows including The View, Showtime, CBS This Morning and more.

Now, rumors are speculating that Abrams could possibly be selected as a running mate for Joe Biden if he takes on Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election.

Are the people ready for a fearless Black woman to ride the turbulent waves of America? For right now, the answer is unclear for some, but for Abrams, 2019 was hers for the taking and we look forward to seeing what she has in store for us in 2020.

Texas HBCU hosts Democratic Debate

Is there still hope for another Black president?

Senator Cory Booker (NJ), Senator Kamala Harris (CA), and Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) standing together during the Democratic Debate.

Texas Southern University (TSU) had the opportunity of hosting the third Democratic primary debate on Sept. 12 with two African American senators, Corey Booker (NJ) and Kamala Harris (CA), in hopes of becoming the next United States president.

The debate grabbed national headlines for the second-largest historically black university (HBCU) in the nation, emphasizing the power of the Black vote, and placing all eyes of America on the university, headed by President Austin Lane.

Booker and Harris each held their own against opponents. Harris tackled topics head-on, and even threw a couple of haymakers at President Donald Trump by calling out his last two-and-a-half years in office. Booker, the charismatic politician, focused on getting the base on the same page.

Following the debate, Harris has since dropped out of the race due to lack of financial resources and Booker is still fighting on, despite not qualifying for the December debate. Will Booker be able to make it to the top, or will one of them be chosen as a running mate for Joe Biden, the front-runner many anticipate will be the chosen one? We at African-American News&Issues definitely want one of our own in the Oval Office again.

NEW FACES IN DA’ HOUSE

Meet ‘The Squad’ – these four women represent diversity and a younger generation advocating for progressive policies

ALEXANDRIA OCA- SIO-CORTEZ (NY) gained national notoriety after she won the Democratic Party’s primary election in New York, ending her opponent’s 10-year term. At the age of 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman to serve in the Congress and is very active online. “I am very hands-on about social media,” she said. “That’s my voice.” She has also supported the efforts to defund and shutdown detention centers at the Mexico-US border.

AYANNA PRESSLEY (MA) is a Democrat and the house representative for Massachusetts. She is originally from Illinois, where she was voted ‘most likely to be mayor of Chicago’. Pressley supports NFL “take-a-knee” protests and Medicare-for-All. As a survivor of sexual violence, she also supports the decriminalization of sex work. “Decriminalizing sex work would improve the health and safety of sex workers and put them on the path to greater stability,” Pressley said.

ILHAN OMAR (MN) was born in Somalia, where her family lived before escaping war and arriving in New York in 1992. Before reaching the US borders, Omar and her family spent four years in a refugee camp. In 1995, her family secured asylum in Virginia, before settling in Minnesota. Omar’s political position revolves around capitalism, education, and immigration. She supports loan forgiveness programs and free college tuition. In Feb. the FBI arrested a man who plotted to assassinate Omar and other politicians.

RASHIDA TLAIB (MI) is a politician and lawyer representing Michigan in the House of Representatives becoming the first Palestinian American in Congress, which caused her to be denied entry into the country of Israel. Tlaib is concerned with foreign affairs and has publicly criticized the Israeli government and openly expressed the support to end US aid in the country. “We shouldn’t be supporting any form of aid towards countries that are killing people that are innocent,” Tlaib said.