Below are voices from some of the many individuals and groups who helped make the Georgia victory possible.
“The victories of Senators-elect Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock would not have been possible without the strong investment of grassroots donors, labor organizations, and national partners, along with the determination of allied organizations, activists, and volunteers. Fair Fight is proud to have played a key role in sending two champions of democracy to the U.S. Senate who will fight for voting rights, Covid relief, jobs, health care access, and racial justice.” — Fair Fight
“We weren’t surprised that Georgia turned blue, because we’ve been working on it for over 15 years . . .” — Deborah Scott, founder, Georgia Stand Up
“It’s been an uphill battle . . . because here, we’re not just women, we’re Southern women. And we’re not just Southern women, we’re Southern Black women.” — Felicia Davis, long-time organizer in Clayton County, Georgia
“[M]ore than 4.4 million ballots were cast in Georgia’s Senate runoff . . . That is a MASSIVE, record-setting number. You broke records in the dead of winter, in the 11th month of a global health crisis, in the face of aggressive voter suppression. You’re just absolutely incredible.” — New Georgia Project
“[T]here was always someone there to meet me who had been waiting for someone to come to help connect and help them build this network . . . whether it was finding Black voters in South Georgia, and working with Black immigrants in Gwinnett, or working with the Asian-Americans and the Pacific Islanders community, or going to North Georgia and meeting with more and more Latino voters.” — Stacey Abrams to the New York Times
“Eso! Our efforts in the Georgia con Ganas campaign have been with the goal to improve the lives of people in our community and gain power. We gain power when we stand together . . . And while we’re building power through the vote, our work continues on to the demands we make of elected officials to represent our communities. We won’t stop until our communities are free from injustice.” — Mijente
“We’ve been out here listening to neighbors and voters lift up a better vision for our futures . . . We’ve lifted up what it will take to fight for the South and win the things our communities deserve. Southerners are at a crossroads. Are you ready to make a choice and join with your neighbors to fight for what we deserve?” — Southern Crossroads, #Fight4TheSouth
“Regarding violent white male supremacists in America, an activist friend in Mississippi told to me years ago that the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) would not do anything without the approval of the white elite. Then, the late Rev. Joseph Lowery mentioned to me that in our contemporary world the KKK leadership is now sitting in corporate board rooms. That being said, President Donald J. Trump fits this mold of providing leadership to these violent/aggressive white males who invaded the U.S. Capitol.” — Heather Gray, journalist, Justice Initiative
“Thank you to the Southwest Georgia Project, Mijente, GLAHR, WWA, Southern Crossroads, the New Georgia Project and Fair Fight and to the thousands of Georgians who have fought voter suppression for decades with Black Women leading so much of the fight for democracy! Georgia, the South, is the portal to transform the country. We slowed a fascist offensive but haven’t won yet. Now we go on the offensive to win a Caring Society and divest from a carceral society!” — Rita Valenti, RN, long-time health justice activist
Material gathered from Facebook, NYT and individual submissions.
