( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) Georgia Democratic Leader Stacy Abrams, Who Has Been Credited As One Of The Leading Figures That Helped Flip Georgia Blue In The 2020 Presidential Election, Has Been Nominated For The Nobel Peace Prize
ENSPIRE Contributor: Re’Dreyona Walker
Democratic politician and voting rights activist Stacy Abrams has joined a growing list of nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize this year for her work to, “promote nonviolent change via the ballot box,” a Socialist Norweigian lawmaker said on Monday. Praised for her voting activism, Abrams has been credited with helping Joe Biden win Georgia in the 2020 election against Donald Trump—in which she historically flipped Georgia blue by boosting voter turnout and helping Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate.
Reuters reported that Norweigian parliament member Lars Haltbrekken announced her nomination earlier this week, comparing her non-violent efforts to promote change in racial equality to Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., who was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and won in 1964 for his “nonviolent campaign against racism”. “Abrams’ work follows in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s footsteps in the fight for equality before the law and for civil rights. Haltbrekken said. “Abrams’ efforts to complete King’s work are crucial if the United States of America shall succeed in its effort to create fraternity between all its peoples and a peaceful and just society.”
Abrams’ activism against voter suppression began in 2014 when she launched the New Georgia Project, an effort to sign up unregistered Black Georgians to vote in the midterm elections that same year. Following her narrow defeat in the 2018 Georgia state race against now Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, she created Fair Fight Action, a national voting rights organization dedicated to combating voter suppression in Georgia and across the country.
Every year, nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize come from thousands of people around the world and can include nominations from university professors and directors associated with social sciences, members of the government, and even former winners of the award. The winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize are expected to be announced in October.
Other nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize include Former President Donald Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, the World Health Organization, Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and Black Lives Matter—a movement that made a historical impact on the country this past year with social justice protests reaching its climax during the summer after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Notable past winners of the prestigious award include former President Barack Obama in 2009 for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people, former South African President Nelson Mandela in 1993 for his work in fighting against the apartheid regime, and Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai in 2014 for her work in fighting for equality in women education rights.
