Georgia may go blue - barring a recount - for the first time since the 90s and yet one hard-fought miracle wasn’t enough. Now, because Democrats blew their Senate chances everywhere else, Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock are feeling the weight of the entire country on their shoulders to win not one, but BOTH Georgia senate seats in the January run-off elections.
I want to take a moment to remind our white listeners that the gigantic headline of the 2020 election is that Black voters, organizers and activists did the difficult, grueling ground work that handed the election to Joe Biden. The fact that Georgia is at least purple in a presidential election is a testament to Black activists and organizers and Black youth who turned out in huge numbers. So, white People: We are absolutely not allowed to sit this one out. Maybe you can’t literally move to Georgia like Andrew Yang, but you can still help make a difference.
As we saw in this election, money actually isn’t everything - but it sure helps. GASenate.com allows you to make a single donation that will be split between the Ossoff and Warnock campaigns, and Stacy Abrams’ Fair Fight PAC, which is training advocates to fight voter suppression in Georgia.
To help bolster the youth turnout, you should also consider donating or volunteering with Stacy Abrams’ other organization. The New Georgia Project is a nonpartisan organization with the goal of registering all, eligible unregistered citizens of color in Georgia by the end of the decade, with a focus on youth - the fastest growing part of the state’s electorate. This is important since Georgia residents who turn 18 by January 5th are eligible to vote in the run-offs. Go to NewGeorgiaProject.org to contribute or get involved.
You can also buy PPE for New Georgia Project workers from their Amazon Wishlist!
Another major presence on the ground in Georgia is Black Voters Matter, founded by LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright to increase power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. They not only register voters and advocate for voting rights, but help build infrastructure for other Black-led grassroots organizations. Visit BlackVotersMatterFund.org to donate or get involved.
And it’s very important to note that Georgia has a voter ID law, a tool of voter suppression that disproportionately affects low-income, unhoused and Black, Indigenous communities and people of color. You can help more people access the ballot by supporting or volunteering with my favorite organization, Vote Riders. VoteRiders helps voters identify the documents they need to get an ID, request and pay for the documents, pay the DMV fees, and gives a free ride to the DMV. Voters can call or text their help line at 844-338-8743 or go to VoteRiders.org/freehelp to submit an online form and get started. If you don’t need an ID, I strongly urge you to fundraise, donate or become a volunteer to support their sadly necessary work.
Of course, voter suppression will come in many forms, so the ACLU of Georgia is ready to take action. You can support their work at ACLUGA.org.
So, what are we all gonna do for the next 2 months? That’s right, keep Georgia on our minds.
If putting Mitch McConnell in the minority is important to you, be sure to tell everyone you know about Getting Involved in Our LAST CHANCE to Flip the Senate so that others in your network can spread the word too.
TAKE ACTION
- Buy PPE for the New Georgia Project workers!
SURJ Post-Election Action Toolkit
- Nov. 12th - Join SURJ Mass Call: White people recommitting to racial justice in a Biden Administration
EDUCATE YOURSELF
'The Rise Of The New South': Black Women Organizers Turn Georgia Bluish (WBUR)
Activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham’s Post-Election Road Map (W)
Young people could decide the Georgia runoff races for US Senate (The Civics Center)
#15: If We’re Not Organizing White People, Somebody Else Is (Organizing Upgrade - SURJ)
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