John —

In a moment, I will ask you to donate to our campaign for One Georgia, but first, I want to tell you a story. It’s a story my grandmother, Wilter Abrams, told me about the first time she cast a ballot.

The year was 1968, and my grandmother, born and raised in Mississippi, was eligible to vote in a presidential election for the first time. For so many Black voters in the South, this chance to cast a ballot was the culmination of centuries of struggle.

Outfitted in his Sunday best, my grandfather called out for her to finish getting dressed and head to the precinct. But my grandmother hesitated.

I asked her why she faltered after such a long fight — after braving the dogs, the hoses and the billy clubs. She told me, "I wasn’t afraid of the right to vote — I was afraid of the power." She was most afraid that she would finally be able to exercise this fundamental right — one that she and so many others fought so hard for — and that nothing would change.

Our voices have immense power, John, and we can change our future together. Will you contribute $5 today to help fund a campaign determined to create a brighter future for Georgia?

My parents raised me to believe the right to vote is sacred and that you work for it — and you work to ensure everyone else can too. But our opponents would rather make it harder for Georgians to participate in our democratic process than to lose control.

Despite her fears, my grandmother voted that day. She voted because of the people — including my parents — who had sacrificed their liberty and, for some, their lives, to secure the possibility. And she never missed an election. My mission is to protect our right to vote so that our democracy reflects the needs and ambitions of those it governs.

We have the power to build a better Georgia — for ourselves, for our parents and grandparents, for our children and their children. But the current governor is going to put obstacles in our path every step of the way to stop that from happening.

John, I am fighting to make sure we remove the barriers people like my grandmother and families all across Georgia face. Will you contribute $5 now to our fight to open the gates of opportunity for all Georgians?

If we get to work, we can change the future.

Thank you,

Stacey