Dear,

Voters will prevail, both in Georgia and when Congress approves the Electoral College vote. In two weeks, we will celebrate the inauguration of the Biden-Harris administration, as well as a Democrat-controlled Senate in which Vice President Harris will serve as the tie-breaking vote. Republican opposition, domestic terrorists, and white supremacist violence will not change that.

We must reject today’s violent attempt to distract us from our wins, and instead, we must hold our focus firmly on celebrating Black leaders in Georgia -- especially Black women like Stacey Abrams of Fair Fight and Nse Ufot of New Georgia Action Project -- who delivered wins for Senators-elect Warnock and Ossoff, as well as President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris. For years, they have organized and mobilized Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and new voters year-round to get Georgia to this point in history: their first Democratic presidential victory in nearly 30 years and their first Black senator ever. These wins are historic and will have deep implications for the health of our democracy long past what is happening in Washington, D.C., and many other cities, now.

Stacey Abrams, Nse Ufot, and Senator-elect Reverend Warnock come from a long tradition of Black-, Indigenous-, and people of color-led organizing for racial and economic justice and voting rights that is the backbone of our democracy. It is a tradition we all must continue to acknowledge and draw from as we face what’s ahead of us.

In the immediate, that means holding domestic terrorists and their Republican enablers responsible for this current insurrection. And we must press the Biden-Harris administration to be courageous in enacting bold reforms and policies.

This is how we honor the hard work of Black Georgian leaders and the legacy of our movement elders before us, and continue to fight alongside our allies. We will prevail.

In solidarity,

Irene Kao, for the rest of the Courage California team