Source: Jessica McGowan / Getty Oprah Winfrey is the latest of a long line of celebs to endorse Stacey Abrams for Governor of Georgia, but she took it a step further. After her sit down interview with Stacey Abrams, that drew thousands of spectators, Oprah decided to hit the streets and knock on doors in Atlanta to show her support for Abrams. Check out the video below as Oprah surprises a homeowner and urges her to vote. ____
F or a second time, a federal judge put a halt to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp ’s attempt to throw out absentee ballots over mismatched signatures. See Also: Georgia Isn’t Even Trying To Hide Its Racist Voter Suppression Efforts With This Video Federal Judge Leigh Martin May on Tuesday rejected Kemp’s request to suspend her initial Oct. 24 temporary order that instructed all local election officials to stop rejecting absentee ballots over the signatures, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Kemp is appealing May’s first ruling and wanted the judge to suspend her decision until a higher court hears the case. Kemp, the GOP nominee for Georgia governor, is in a tight race against Stacey Abrams , who could become the nation’s first African-American woman governor. He’s been criticized for his multiple attempts to suppress the Black vote for the 2018 election. Former President Jimmy Carter has asked Kemp to recuse him to ensure a fair election . BREAKING: A federal Judge in GA declined Sec of State Brian Kemp’s request to pause an injunction she ordered stemming from our absentee ballot litigation against Kemp and lawsuits filed by @CoalitionGoodGv + @ACLU https://t.co/YnwFu2w28g — Lawyers' Committee 866-OUR-VOTE (@LawyersComm) October 31, 2018 May’s initial Oct. 24 ruling stems from two lawsuits filed by voting rights organizations after advocates noticed that election officials in Gwinnett County, an Atlanta suburb, were rejecting hundreds of absentee ballots for signature discrepancies. The rejected ballots were disproportionately from minorities. In siding with the voting rights organizations, May ordered Kemp to instruct all election officials to stop tossing out the ballots over signature issues. She noted that there are many legitimate reasons that signatures on the ballots may not match the signature on government ID cards, including stress, age, or simply rushing to sign your name. Officials must mark those ballots provisional and give the voter the right to appeal the decision or confirm his or her identity. The secretary of state’s appeal of May’s order is expected to be heard in the United States Appeals Court’s Eleventh Circuit. SEE ALSO: Trump Takes A Swipe At Andrew Gillum’s HBCU Education Kanye West And Candace Owens Stole ‘Blexit’ From A Bank Black Movement [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3834133″ overlay=”true”]
K Camp & Wiz Khalifa Drop New Single “Clouds” Today K Camp dropped a new single from his upcoming RARE Sound album, which will be released on November 2nd. “Clouds” featuring Wiz Khalifa is the latest release from K Camp’s new album which also features guest appearances from Lil Durk, UnoTheActivist, Nessly, as well as RARE Sound artists TrueStory Gee and GENIUS. Earlier this month, K Camp released the first visual from the album, “Can’t Go Home” featuring GENIUS. Listen to “Clouds” here , let us know what you think!
(Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage) Stacey Abrams: Everything You Need To Know When it comes to being resilient, self-made and badass in a White male dominated political world — only a Black woman like Stacey Abrams can execute those qualities with ease. You’ve probably heard about the Yale Law School graduate/ novelist who won the Democratic primaries in Georgia and will probably replace the state’s Republican governor, Nathan Deal. But there’s so much more to learn about the Mississippi born candidate who served six years as both the first black Democratic leader in the state House and the first woman. Just last month, Abrams told Essence , “Black women have demonstrated an enthusiasm and engagement in politics that is unmatched. So, for me, using and leveraging that community is critical to winning, but it is the beginning.” Well said, sis! Check out a list of things you should know about Stacey Abrams, who may become the first Black woman to ever become governor in the United States.
Angela Rye is a political commentator, activist and is known to have a swift clapback at anyone that tries to come for her. While on “ The Rickey Smiley Morning Show ,” she spoke about voter suppression in Georgia as well as racist robocalls in Florida. Rickey Smiley mentioned that he had a dream about Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams , who are both running for governor in two different states. Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit Rye hopes Rickey’s dreams are projections of who will be elected. She then spoke about how she’s watched people put fear inside of voters. Having several Black candidates on ballots Rye said makes them, “Big mad.” Rye also spoke about Brian Kemp and how he’s purging voters out the system because their names don’t exactly match. SEE ALSO: Angela Rye On Voting: “It’s One Freedom Of Power Where We’re All Equal” [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] We shouldn’t fear voting and Rye said,”Don’t let anyone take your power away.” If you dislike what the Trump administration is doing you have the opportunity to change it. Show them that we have power and we can show up by voting. Listen to “ The Rickey Smiley Morning Show ” 6am ET. ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM : Ayesha Curry Shows Off Her Post-Baby Abs During Date Night With Husband, Steph Quincy Jones Reveals Ray Charles Got Him Hooked On Heroin At 15 50 Cent Goes Savage On Ashanti After She Only Sells 24 Concert Tickets Slay! Kenya Moore’s Royalty-Themed Baby Shower Was Absolutely Gorgeous [PHOTOS] Follow @TheRSMS [ione_media_gallery src=”https://rickeysmileymorningshow.com” id=”1949628″ overlay=”true”]
A representative for Andrew Gillum spoke out Tuesday against a White supremacist website’s racist robocall referring to the candidate as a “negro” and “monkey.” RELATED: 5 Takeaways From Andrew Gillum’s Masterful Debate Dismantling Of Ron DeSantis “These disgusting, abhorrent robocalls represent a continuation of the ugliest, most divisive campaign in Florida’s history,” Geoff Burgan told The Huffington Post after Gillum’s acclaimed performance during Sunday night’s debate . “We would hope that these calls, and the dangerous people who are behind them, are not given anymore attention than they already have been.” An actor, presumably hired or associated with the Neo-Nazi website The Road To Power, pretended to be Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate during the call. The actor spoke in an exaggerated stereotypical Black southern voice over music from the minstrel era and “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” a TV sitcom that perpetuated several racist tropes about Black people in the 1950s. The person is heard saying, “Well hello there. I is the Negro Andrew Gillum, and I be asking you to make me governor of this here state of Florida.” A screeching monkey sound is also heard on the horrific robocall, which circulated on Tuesday. The robocall refers to Andrew Gillum as a “negro” and a “monkey.” https://t.co/T1Opyvc1nw — NBCBLK (@NBCBLK) October 23, 2018 The ad veers into more terrible territory when the actor describes Gillum’s health care plan as “quite cheap” because “he’ll just give chicken feet to people as medicine.” The call also mentions that Jewish voters will support Gillum because Jews are “the ones that been putting Negroes in charge over the white folk, just like they done after the Civil War.” After the call ends, a disclaimer points out that The Road To Power website and podcast’s name is responsible for the ad. The Idaho-based group has a history of making racist robocalls, including those previously made against Gillum in August as well as in several other states such as Oregon and Virginia. As to whether Ron DeSantis has anything to do with the racist robocall, his camp fiercely denied any connection and denounced the ad in a statement. DeSantis, however, had blown a racist dog whistle with his comment advising Florida voters not to “ monkey up ” the election by voting for Gillum. SEE ALSO: Is Netflix Using Racism To Make Black Viewers Watch White Movies? Thailand Tells Black People Don’t Come Here [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3833124″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Screenshot/Georgia Public Broadcasting / Screenshot/Georgia Public Broadcasting M ore than anything else, the debate between Georgia gubernatorial candidates in Atlanta on Tuesday night was more like the start of a famous Charles Dickens novel: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” In fact, it was truly a tale of three candidates, with one rising above the foolishness with her wisdom making it the best of times for her while relegating her opponents to experiencing the worst of times. At least as far as debates go, that is. Stacey Abrams , the Democratic nominee who could become Georgia’s first Black governor, easily came across as more informed, more measured, more composed and simply more on top of the issues than her two opponents, Republican nominee Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Libertarian nominee Ted Metz. The first debate between @staceyabrams and @BrianKempGA tackled hot-button issues like voting access, Medicaid expansion and the candidates' finances. #GAGovDebate https://t.co/Q481cNJh8A — Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) October 24, 2018 Abrams had her talking points ready when needed but also was able to naturally improvise with ease in answering a variety of questions. Conversely, Kemp came off as uber-arrogant, angry and, actually, ignorant to the facts, which were repeatedly thrown in his face each time Abrams had to correct him while he was attacking her with false claims. And then came Metz, who was sporting a marijuana leaf pin on his lapel and continuously touted the many miracles that he said hemp use could accomplish. He just seemed happy to be there more than anything else. There were also several moments of levity, whether all of the candidates knew it or not. Like when Kemp inexplicably referenced “Jesus” who lives on “Heaven Street” as an example of attempted voter fraud that he said he fights hard to quash. When you were 18 and the bouncer started quizzing you over the information on your fake ID #GAGovDebate pic.twitter.com/G9lAcn2brf — madison (@succubusspice) October 24, 2018 Yes, he really said that. Of those who have been taken off the voting rolls, @BrianKempGA says people had double names and cites example of a “Jesus” from “Heaven Street.” “They are on the pending list. No one's keeping them from voting. Their Social Security didn't match,” he says. #GAGovDebate — David Catanese (@davecatanese) October 23, 2018 There was also the fire alarm that went off in the studio just minutes into the debate, forcing the moderator to awkwardly take an ill-timed commercial break. Georgia debate on pause — they abruptly went to break after a fire alarm went off in the studio. #GAGovDebate pic.twitter.com/vgJokjhzpj — NewsOne (@newsone) October 23, 2018 But still, there was much to glean from this debate, which was at times very spirited. But in the end, it was pretty one-sided, with Abrams emerging as the clear victor. However, as well remember just about two years ago, good debate performances and solid polling can mean nothing. With that said, here’s are the top five takeaways from Georgia’s gubernatorial debate Tuesday night. Brian Kemp is a voter suppression denier. He simply doesn’t believe it exists, which is especially scary considering nearly half of voters polled indicated they would vote for him. “This farce about voter suppression”… “is absolutely not true,” Kemp said at one point. Metz, whose policies were all over the place, agreed, insisting that voter suppression was “much do about nothing.” Which left Abrams as the lone voice of reason: “Mr. Kemp’s record as secretary of state demonstrates that he does not deserve a promotion in the state of Georgia.” “This is someone who had a woman arrested for helping her blind father vote.” -Stacey Abrams on Brian Kemp's pattern of voter suppression. #GAGovDebate pic.twitter.com/dgUVLWMskf — PIC44 (@Picevol) October 24, 2018 Brian Kemp just actually had the nerve to blame @BarackObama for the voter suppression problems he himself has been responsible for creating in #Georgia . I can't even. #GAGovDebate pic.twitter.com/YE1OlCnDIt — PurpleGimp (@PurpleGimp) October 23, 2018 Stacey Abrams has a comprehensive plan and Brian Kemp doesn’t. She fully explained her policies surrounding healthcare, and Medicaid in particular, which she said she would expand it to help create thousands of jobs while working to save the state’s rural hospitals that were on the brink of closure. “Mr. Kemp does not have a plan for healthcare,” Abrams plainly stated. Kemp is lying through his teeth on Medicaid Expansion in tonight's #GAGovDebate . 470,000 more Georgians would have health coverage with @staceyabrams as governor. https://t.co/5MfQdTR9r6 — Cat Duffy (@catduffy) October 23, 2018 Brian Kemp is a xenophobe. The current Georgia secretary of state was vehement about not allowing undocumented citizens to have a legal path toward citizenship and falsely accused Abrams of encouraging amnesty in exchange for votes. Abrams had her priorities straight, explaining that instead of keeping the undocumented community in the shadows, they could join contributing members of society who could help grow the state’s economy. She said she was also in favor of allowing undocumented immigrants to take advantage of in-state tuition, so long as they were paying taxes. . @staceyabrams #GAGovDebate tonight… addressing voter suppression. Stacey Abrams making sure that every vote that gets cast gets COUNTED!! #Vote #VoteBlue pic.twitter.com/06PU2svf0g — Marketing Gᴜʀᴜs (@MarketingGurus2) October 24, 2018 Kemp is against ending cash bail. Atlanta already ended mandatory cash bail earlier this year, but it has yet to be implemented across the state. Abrams said she would work to make that a reality while Kemp said it was a recipe for disaster, implying he’d rather see poor people continue to languish in jail for what are many times nonviolent and petty crimes. “If you want to help reduce crime, let’s make sure recidivism is part of the answer,” Abrams said. “We need to decriminalize being poor in the state of Georgia.” @staceyabrams is down for ending #cashbail . She’s got the plan. #gapol #GaGovDebate pic.twitter.com/hH5QibbOYa — Black Lives Matter Atlanta (@BLMAtlanta) October 23, 2018 Yes, Stacey Abrams once burned the Georgia flag with a Confederate symbol. And she wouldn’t change a thing. The local journalists asking the candidates questions made sure to bring up that topic du jour at the start of the debate, and Abrams was ready for it. Stacey Abrams asked about the confederate flag protest right off the bat – knocked the answer out of the park #GAGovDebate — DSamp (@the_real_dsamp) October 24, 2018 If you’re covering Stacey Abrams burning a racist flag 26 years ago rather than Brian Kemp saying just last week he’s afraid of black people voting, while he disenfranchises thousands of black voters, you should quit your job. #GAGovDebate — Denizcan Grimes (@MrFilmkritik) October 24, 2018 Didn’t get a chance to see the debate? Fear not, you can just click here and watch an archived version of it on the Georgia Public Broadcasting website. SEE ALSO: GOP Plan To Shame Stacey Abrams For Burning Georgia’s Racist Confederate Flag Backfires Watch Stacey Abrams Brilliantly Shuts Down A Crazed Republican [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3833255″ overlay=”true”]
A s Republicans increasingly find themselves backed into the corner of their inevitable, impending losses in the Midterm elections next month, GOP candidates seeking office and re-election alike have been increasingly resorting to the single platform that has been helping their party thrive: racism-based politics of fear. The onslaught of racist political ads flooding regional airwaves underscores Republicans’ desperation to cling to power. And while culturally tone-deaf and racially insensitive ads are nothing new — remember when a John McCain TV spot manipulated Obama’s skin color to make it look darker? — this latest crop has been especially and unabashedly disrespectful, using the most damaging stereotypes to depict or refer to Black people in particular. The latest example came from Arkansas, where a radio ad released in support of Republican Congressman French Hill was in theory supposed to appeal to Black voters. But in real life, the desired effect was anything but achieved when someone decided that using stereotypically sassy Black women’s voices speaking in a dialect often-mocked by non-Blacks was the right move. This is a real radio ad currently running in Arkansas in support of Republican Congressman French Hill on radio stations targeted to the African American community. I don't even have words to describe it. pic.twitter.com/vpzt1nGPlc — (((Ben Tribbett))) (@notlarrysabato) October 18, 2018 “Honey I always told my son, don’t be messing around with that,” one voice says of dating white women and the possible consequences of being lynched because of it, evoking damaging and false imagery of an eye-popping, neck-rolling Black woman with a hand on her hip. “If you get caught, she will cry rape.” While just a radio ad, anyone remotely familiar with Diamond and Silk would easily be forgiven for confusing the voices on the ad with the embarrassing duo of Black Trump supporters who have made a living from reinforcing the same stereotypes featured in the pro-Hill spot. @HawleyMO has an almost identical ad running on a radio station in Missouri. I heard it at the barbershop JUST LAST NIGHT and I couldn’t hear the name of who paid for it. Thank you for this. https://t.co/9cpIb9w7Ny — Fredrick Doss (@FredrickDoss) October 19, 2018 Not to be outdone, the National Republican Congressional Committee released an ad last month trying to reduce New York congressional candidate Antonio Delgado , who is Black, to a “big city rapper.” While Delgado has indeed been a rapper , he is also a Harvard Law School-trained former Rhodes Scholar , by the way, making him completely qualified for public office. To add insult to injury, the right-wing propaganda tabloid New York Post referred to Delgado as a “Rappin’ Dem” in its headline on Thursday. And let’s not forget about how the Republican Governor’s Association in August featured a pair of tap-dancing feet in an attack ad on Stacey Abrams , who is battling all types of voter suppression efforts while campaigning to become Georgia’s first Black governor. For the uninitiated, the controversial imagery surrounding Black people tap dancing is rooted in racist minstrel shows and doubles down on the stereotype that Black folks can only entertain white audiences. But, of course, most importantly, tap dancing has nothing to do with Abrams’ campaign, showing the low, deceptive measures Republicans don’t mind stooping to. Never mind how Abrams’ Republican opponent, who just happens to be Georgia’s current secretary of state — the office that oversees elections — was featuring a controversial video on his website showing a Black child actor who failed to bring the acceptable government-issued voter ID to cast a ballot. Although the video was first posted in 2016, it remained on the site until Thursday. Wow. So on the SOS website #BrianKemp has an advance voting video. Take a look at who gets to vote and who doesn’t. Nice messaging, Kemp. Please just #resign already. #gapol #gagov #TeamAbrams pic.twitter.com/D4gmMeb4Cw — Anjali Enjeti (@anjalienjeti) October 18, 2018 Aside from political ads, white Republican candidates themselves have been using no uncertain terms to describe their Black opponents in coded, dog-whistled language. Ron DeSantis , who was trailing Andrew Gillum in the latest polls for the Florida governor race, has defended racism and has a lengthy, detailed history of racism . The day after Gillum secured the Democratic nomination in the race, DeSantis told Florida voters not to “monkey this up” by electing the person who could become the state’s first Black governor. Still not enough examples of how racism has permeated the 2018 election cycle? HuffPost listed more than a dozen other instances here to emphasize the tidal wave of racist “attacks made on candidates of color by their opponents.” We only defeat hate through these four letters-V.O.T.E … our lives depend on it! https://t.co/BI9rT3lgmH — NAACP (@NAACP) October 19, 2018 While the ads can’t be forgiven, they can certainly be understood, since the politics of fear worked so well for the president’s own election. And as has been shown time-and-time again, Republicans have no problem following the example of their leaders, even (especially?) if it means resorting to racism. SEE ALSO: Keith Ellison’s Political Opponents Are Trying Every Trick In The Book To Beat Him Here’s Why Black Seniors Are Being Singled Out By Voter Suppression Efforts [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3832182″ overlay=”true”]
B lack women candidates, who face disproportionately higher obstacles to fundraising, have gotten a much-needed financial boost to help push them across the finish line ahead of their opponents in the 2018 midterm elections. See Also: Blue Party: Say Hello To The Black Wave MoveOn.org, the progressive social justice and political organization, announced Thursday that it has raised more than $1 million in small donations from its members to help elect six Black women candidates in the 2018 cycle. They hit the milestone on Wednesday night, and the pot swelled to $1,101,791 by Thursday afternoon. The midterm elections are crucially important, and Black women bring an important voice to the political landscape, Karine Jean-Pierre , a MoveOn.org senior advisor and national spokesperson, told NewsOne . “Demographics are changing. You can’t move forward unless you have Black women at the political table,” she emphasized. “It would be a farce to say we’re moving forward as a country if you don’t have Black women there.” . @MoveOn has been quietly banging away to raise grassroots funds for Black women running for office, & we're approaching an awesome milestone. Soon, our members will have directly contributed > $1 million to ppl like @staceyabrams @LindaForNC @LUnderwood630 @lucymcbath @IlhanMN — Anna Galland (@annagalland) October 15, 2018 Raising campaign funds is arguably the biggest obstacle that hinders the success of Black women candidates. There’s already an overall gender gap , in which women running for Congress raise an average of $500,000 less than men. The challenges are even greater for Black women compared to white women. A March 2018 report from Arena, a progressive group that trains and supports female candidates, underscored the challenges Black women candidates face in attracting funding. In 2016, Black and Latinx women incumbents raised only half as much as white women did and just two-thirds as much as white men. “Money is incredibly important. You can’t have a campaign without money,” Jean-Pierre emphasized. The money could help them reach more voters by purchasing TV or radio ads, printing brochures or hiring essential staff members. MoveOn members have been incredibly receptive to supporting Black women candidates, Jean-Pierre said. The organization has built an email list over the past two decades that numbers in the millions. Their small-dollar member donations have accumulated to critical funding that continues to fuel campaigns. Stacey Abrams , who is running to be Georgia’s first Black governor, received MoveOn’s endorsement in November 2017. The group endorsed 11 non-incumbent Black women for Congress, three statewide and 13 in local elections. By Thursday afternoon, MoveOn raised $939,548 for Abrams. The other candidates who received funding included Linda Coleman ($48,004), Lauren Underwood ($47,366), Lucy McBath ($47,943), Ilhan Omar ($18,522) and Jahana Hayes ($406.00). “It was the first time that we’ve endorsed so early in a gubernatorial elections because of the importance of her elections,” Jean-Pierre explained. “When we bundled for Stacey Abrams, I know it was helpful, especially going into the primaries.” SEE ALSO: Please Stop Giving Racist White Women Adorable Nicknames Where Is Kierra Coles? Everything We Know About Missing Chicago Pregnant Postal Worker [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3831106″ overlay=”true”]
Image via Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Eric Holder Has A New Mantra For Democrats In 2020 It’s beginning to look more and more like Eric Holder is going to run for President in 2020 . The former Attorney General is currently trending on Twitter over some comments that he made this past Sunday in Georgia at a campaign event for Senatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (GEORGIA, GO VOTE!). Holder has GOPer panties in knots for putting a darker and more sinister spin on Michelle Obama’s famous mantra: “when they go low, we go high”. As much as we love and adore THE First Lady, we have to concede that the high road isn’t paved and it runs off the side of a cliff. In the age of Donald Trump, it’s probably time for a different approach… Word up.
