(ATLANTA, Ga.)–Stacey Abrams has never been one to shy away from a fight. Whether it’s defending voting rights or advocating for those whose voices often are unheard, especially when it comes to child hunger, she has become a trailblazer, both here in Georgia and nationwide. With the release of her latest children’s book, Stacey Speaks Up, Abrams focuses on empowering the next generation to speak up on issues of empathy and advocacy in their communities. In this interview, Abrams discusses the inspiration behind her new book, her career as a writer, politician, and businesswoman, and how we as college students can make a meaningful difference in this upcoming election.
So your new book, Stacey Speaks Up, just released this Tuesday on September 24. What inspired you to write it? What message do you hope readers take away from it?
Stacey Speaks Up is the third in the “Stacey Stories” series. This one really focuses on how when young people confront things that feel unfair or unjust, it can be overwhelming. I wanted to teach and convey a story that combines the issue of empathy and the issue of advocacy. When Little Stacey sees a classmate who can’t afford lunch and she can, that’s a moment for empathy. When she decides to try to take action and how she does so, that’s about learning various lessons of advocacy. I think in this moment, not just a political moment, but in this moment where so many issues are stirring public conversation and children can feel paralyzed by what they see and hear around them, it’s important to give them the tools and to acknowledge that they too are part of how we make things better.
This is a book tailored towards children, but how did your experience throughout your career–the multiple hats that you’ve worn, especially as an African American woman in politics–influence the storyline of the book? Are there any specific lessons from your career that influence the storyline?
There was a moment when I was in the state legislature, before I ran to be minority leader, and I watched members of the legislature from the other party argue vehemently in favor of a tax cut for wealthy retirees. Then, on another bill, argue against giving a very modest stipend to poor individuals. That dichotomy has stuck with me. It, in fact, was a galvanizing moment for me. Not that I didn’t know it existed, but it helped me understand that it was insufficient for me to simply speak against and vote against the bills. I needed to organize how we as a party, and certainly within the legislature, how we as a caucus thought about these disparities.
For most of my life, growing up in the Deep South, the issue of hunger has been a constant one. My parents would take us to volunteer in soup kitchens and homeless shelters. I’ve had a long-standing relationship with the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Hunger is one of those solvable problems that we seem to consistently grapple with. And so whether I’ve done so as a citizen, as a politician, as a business person who has tried to help invest in communities so they can take care of themselves and their families, and certainly as a writer, the issue of hunger for me is one of those focusing issues, because it’s not just about the lack of food in the belly. It’s a question of priorities in the community. It’s a question of the capacity of our workforce to ably deliver services and of our children to learn. It’s one of those issues where if we tackle this conversation thoughtfully, we can transform how we live and operate as a society.
You just mentioned you’re a businessperson. You worked as a lawyer, you worked in state legislature. What drew you to writing–writing your thrillers, your children’s books–and how do you balance it with the other responsibilities?
I grew up the daughter of a librarian and a shipyard worker. My mother made certain we were surrounded by books, sometimes literally. We would go to visit her at the library. My dad is dyslexic, but loves reading, loves stories. It’s always been a struggle for him. What that meant to me was if it’s that hard and he’s still willing to work at it, and it’s worth it to him to struggle through the difficulty, there must be something about what’s in between these words. I grew up with a very strong example of how important storytelling was. As a politician, as a business owner, as an activist, telling stories is how you convince people to take action, to imagine better. It weaves through all of the work that I do.
But actually, writing a book is hard. It can take time. I wrote my first novel all the way through for publication in law school. Someone bought it, and then they bought another one. I’ve just learned over time that writing is an integral part of who I am. But it’s not all of who I am. So I make time to write, I make time to work–or it is work–but I make time to write, I make time to do my other jobs. The way I balance everything is that there is no balance. What there is, is priority. So when I’ve got a book due, that takes priority. When I have competing priorities, I have to navigate which one comes first, but they both have to come and be accomplished. I just spend a lot of time moving the blocks. I call it work-life Jenga. I just work, I move the pieces around so that as much as possible, the whole thing doesn’t fall apart. But if it does, I just rebuild it.
The power of a story: part of the story your mom and dad taught you was the importance of reading. Your new book emphasizes the power of using one’s voice. What advice would you give to young people–young writers–particularly those who might want to use their voice to influence social and political change?
Start with what you know, but don’t stay there. Sometimes writers are told to only write about your own experiences, and that cuts off the imagination. Instead, I say start with what you know, and then move to what you want to know. When you do that you give yourself permission to tell an authentic story, but you also give yourself permission to be curious and to expand how you do your storytelling.
When we’re talking about social issues you don’t want to preach to the choir. You’re not trying to tell someone who already agrees with you. What you’re trying to do is engage someone who doesn’t know they agree with you, or they don’t know this is an issue. The best way to do that is not to preach at them, but to invite them in. Tell a story that allows them to grow with your characters. When you start by telling people they’re wrong for not already being with you, they’ll never catch up or they may just turn around and walk away. When you invite them in, they can grow with you, they can grow with your story, and they can grow into your issue.
You’ve been a big activist and supporter of voting rights and voting accessibility, especially here in Georgia. With the upcoming election and new laws and regulations being passed every day in the state, how do you believe students, especially here at Agnes Scott–a historically women’s college–and other young voters–especially college students–can make a meaningful impact with their voices and actions in this critical time?
The first is to verify. Verify that you’re still on the rolls because Georgia has a sneaky habit of removing people from the rolls, but this is true across the country. Verify your own registration. Verify that you have a plan to vote, not that you’re going to vote, but that you have made a plan—you know what day, what time, how you’re going to get there. If you’re doing absentee ballots because you’re not originally from Georgia and you’re voting at home, just make sure you verify that you have a plan.
The second part of verification is then to verify that five friends who you know probably won’t think about this; that they have also done the work of verifying that they’re ready to vote, verifying that they have a plan. It’s not just about you; it’s about you and your influence on others.
The second V is volunteer. We need people to help make elections work. While Georgia gets–unfortunately–a lot of attention because of the bad actions of its leadership and members of our state who do not want fair and free elections, it’s not endemic to Georgia. It happens everywhere. No matter where you are, you can volunteer. I would encourage people to go to fairfight.com/lfgv, and you can sign up to volunteer across the country. You can do any kind, and they’ve got an array of opportunities for you.
The third is visibility, and this is especially true for Agnes Scott women, because you guys are amazing at telling people to pay attention. We have to raise visibility about what’s at stake. We think that because we know what other people do, or we don’t want to be seen as preachy or too political, I remind us that—you may not be into politics, but politics is into you, and it is a stalker. We don’t have the luxury of not being visible about our needs, visible about what’s at stake, because the other side–the people who don’t want us to have what we need–they know what’s at stake too. They’re more than happy to tell the other side of the story. We have to use our voices, and we’ve got to be visible. That means using social media, using any opportunity you have to remind people that we’ve got [less than] 40 days to make things happen, or we’ve got to live with the consequences for the next four years.
Those are some great tips! Two last questions. Who is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspirations are my parents. I’ve watched my parents traverse incredible difficulties: raise six children, then turn around and raise my niece from the age of five days old, and she’s now in college. They’ve gone back to school. They embody things I believe should be available, and they’ve done so from positions of powerlessness, sometimes they didn’t have the resources they needed.
And what book are you currently reading?
Right now, I’m reading “The City & The City” by China Miéville. It’s this really interesting sci-fi.
This interview has been edited and condensed. You can purchase Stacey Speaks Up–along with Abrams’ other best-selling books–online, at your favoruite book retailer, and at Charis Books & More.
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