Democrat Stacey Abrams made history Tuesday night as the first Black woman to give the Democratic response to the State Of The Union. The former Georgia candidate wasted no time as she clapped back with a classy rebuttal to some of the issues President Trump has caused. Some of the issues Abrams addressed included immigration, racism and gun control.
She began her speech with an introduction of her mother and father and the values they instilled in her, “Yet even when they came home weary and bone-tired, my parents found a way to show us all who we could be. My librarian mother taught us to love learning. My father, a shipyard worker, put in overtime and extra shifts; and they made sure we volunteered to help others. Later they both became Methodist ministers, an expression of the faith that guides us. These were our family values: faith, service, education, and responsibly.”
Abrams then goes on to say that it is her love and passion for the community that has inspired her to chase her dreams.
“It is this mantra – this uncommon grace of community – that has driven me to become an attorney, a small business owner, a writer, and most recently, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia. My reason for running for governor was simple: I love our country and its promise of opportunity for all, and I stand here tonight because I hold fast to my father’s credo – together, we are coming for America, for a better America.”
She then addressed the government shutdown, which lasted more than 30 days. Abrams feels like President Trump tried to use the American people as a pawn in order to bully the Democrats into paying for the wall he wants around Mexico.
“Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope since they hadn’t received a paycheck in weeks. Making their livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace. The shutdown was a stunt engineered by the President of the United States, one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people – but our values.”
Abrams also addressed President Trump taking kids away from their parents and being held in cages.
“We know bipartisanship could craft a 21st-century immigration plan, but this administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart. Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders. President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this. Americans understand this. And Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders. But we must all embrace that from agriculture to healthcare to entrepreneurship, America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants, not walls.”
She then pointed out that we have dealt with racism in the past and we are currently dealing with it in the present. Abrams wants us to call racism what it is and hold people accountable for being racist.
“We fought Jim Crow with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, yet we continue to confront racism from our past and in our present which is why we must hold everyone from the very highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds and call racism what it is, wrong.”
Even though she doesn’t agree with President Trump, she says he has a responsibility as the leader of the free world to protect and serve the people. “So even as I am very disappointed by the president’s approach to our problems I still don’t want him to fail. But we need him to tell the truth, and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity that defines America.”
She finished by saying, “Our progress has always found refuge in the basic instinct of the American experiment to do right by our people. And with a renewed commitment to social and economic justice, we will create a stronger America, together. Because America wins by fighting for our shared values against all enemies: foreign and domestic. That is who we are – and when we do so, never wavering – the state of our union will always be strong.”
