We will continue to fight with you

In this editorial, Care in Action, which works for more than two million domestic workers and social workers across America, explains what Stacey Abrams' campaign meant for domestic workers.

Dear Stacey,

In October 2017, a small group of us – housekeepers, housekeepers and caregivers – who had heard that a black woman was running for the governorship of our state had decided to meet you. We were curious and excited.

We have prepared a whole list of questions for you. Why were you running? What was your vision for Georgia? How would you change our state? You shared your personal story and the values ​​with which your parents raised you: the importance of family and hard work. You explained why you believe in public education, why you would develop Medicaid, invest in mental health services and keep rural hospitals open.

We felt seen. Many of us can not afford health care and our legislators have fought to stop us. Our children attend schools that are disintegrating. Some members of our family are involved in the criminal justice system. Your family history, your service career, your struggles, your triumphs and your vision of the future have given us hope that Georgia we knew to be possible could be imminent.

At the end of the meeting, one of us asked you, "What do you think you need to win?" After what seemed like a long pause, you said, "I need women black people present themselves and say they are ready to win. Without saying so, you said, "I'm going to fight, but you have to fight as well. We took this as a call to action.

Georgia is the cradle of the movement of domestic workers, where nannies, housekeepers and caregivers have fought for the basic dignity and respect of generations. At the height of the civil rights movement, to join the National Union of Domestic Workers led by Dorothy Lee Bolden, you had to pay $ 1 and register to vote because our leaders understood the power of the vote.

"You believed in us, and we believed in you, we always do it."

Calling our story, we formed an organization called Care in Action. In the months leading up to the elections, we knocked on doors, made phone calls and sent text messages to voters from all over Georgia, from rural areas to urban and suburban areas. Hundreds of black domestics and supporters mobilized more than 250,000 voters. Georgians who have been marginalized – black, Latin American and Asian women, people of color, working-class people, young people and low-wage workers – have inspired us all. And we sought to make our voices heard like never before.

Our challenges were great. The suppression of voters came in many forms. Secretary of State Brian Kemp oversaw his own election. He served 340,000 voters from state lists, including many black communities. Since 2012, it has canceled more than 1.4 million registrations.

On the night of the elections, we brought food and water to voters so passionate about voting that they waited for hours in long queues at polling stations with under-strength voting machines. or down. There were many people out there who did not vote so often but knew it was time to act. They stayed in this line because they believed in you as us, but mostly because they believe in our shared vision of Georgia and the country. We have witnessed historic participation among black voters, especially black women. The basic energy and mobilization were undeniable.

You believed in us. And we believed in you. We are still doing.

You said it best on Friday: "As a leader, I should be stoic in my indignation and silent in my reproaches. But stoicism is a luxury and silence is a weapon for those who want to silence the voice of the people. And I will not concede it because the erosion of our democracy is not right. "

Stacey, you have the support of the Georgian people. You have lit a fire in our hearts to fight for our voices to be heard, a fire that will never be suppressed. Dr. Vincent Harding, a civil rights historian, once said, "I am a citizen of a country that has not yet emerged."

There are at least 30,000 domestic workers in Georgia and over two million of us at the national level. We could not be more proud of having supported your historic campaign for the governor. We believe in our common vision now more than ever. And we believe that this is just the beginning for you and for us. We will continue to meet the challenge you have set for you to make progress towards victory. Our Georgia – our America – has not yet emerged, but we are more determined than ever to fight for it with you.

Sign,

Nannies, cleaners and social workers of America