Make It Count: Stacey Abrams on Why the 2020 Census and Fighting Voter Suppression Go Hand in Hand for Black Americans

“When we are not counted, we do not count. And when we do not count, we do not improve our communities.” —Stacey Abrams

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In 2018, Stacey Abrams ran for governor of Georgia as the first black woman to be nominated by a major party. Despite gaining more votes than any Democrat ever during a statewide election, the slew of voter suppression tactics that swept Georgia ultimately prevented Abrams from becoming the first black female governor in U.S. history.

But leader Abrams didn’t skip a beat. Instead, she looked ahead to 2020 with a vision of justice. With one of the most crucial presidential elections of all time looming, Abrams launched Fair Fight to combat voter suppression and support free and fair elections across the country—and she didn’t stop there. Abrams also wanted to combat gerrymandering, a tactic that’s used to manipulate districts into favoring a particular political party and has also historically robbed black voters of political power. So she launched Fair Count to make sure that African Americans and other marginalized communities are counted in the 2020 Census.

Watch Abrams, the top honoree on this year’s The Root 100, break down what’s at stake in 2020, and why free and fair elections and an accurate Census are both crucial for black Americans.