Friend,

Enfranchising Black communities is rooted in the constitutional right to justice and equality for every American citizen. In order to eradicate the 400 years of inequality that Black people have suffered since first landing on America’s shores, we have a moral imperative to fulfill our founding document’s promise for all.

I have committed more than sixty years of my life to the struggle for civil rights as an activist, a member of Congress, Ambassador to the United Nations and as mayor of Atlanta. To see a man such as Donald Trump come into our city for the appearance of courting Black voters by criticizing our social and economic progress as not being good enough — progress so many of us have dedicated our lives, and in some cases given them to achieve — while his own party works to undermine that progress appalls me.

We can decide the direction that Georgia and our country take right now, which is why I am asking you to make a donation to Teresa’s campaign today. Together we can advance a progressive vision for our country’s future with Teresa’s leadership in the United States Senate.

Six years ago the Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County v. Holder gutted the Voting Rights Act. Today, the state of Georgia plans to purge more than 300,000 registered voters from the rolls leading up to the 2020 election. It is one of many tactics in an effort being led by a president and party that hurl accusations of voter fraud toward any election result they don’t like.

I will tell you this: The president’s initiative to court Black voters in Georgia and across the country is destined to fail. His political modus operandi is accusatory, transactional, and with a “what have you done for me lately” attitude that he expects others to adopt. Black communities will not stand for it, and I believe many more of us will unite across racial, religious, and socioeconomic lines to defeat him.

But there is more that needs to be done. Our brothers and sisters in rural communities across this state and our country deserve to have their voices heard. I strongly believe that Teresa Tomlinson is the candidate to bridge our divides, unite our state, and deliver on the promise of America that you and I believe in.

Andrew Young

P.S. — President Trump was not only in Atlanta to launch his supposed black voter initiative. He also held a fundraiser for Teresa’s opponent where donors contributed as much as $100,000 toward his reelection. If you can, please make a donation to Teresa’s campaign to help her respond.