Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America

by Stacey Abrams

I have been asked about the potential balkanization of politics where embracing identity means that we can no longer reach consensus on broader issues. Though the question is well intentioned, I find it somewhat naive. Those of us with identities that have long been ignored or, worse, weaponized against us, have successfully managed to work together to elect politicians to represent us. Long before women were seen as viable executives, or people of color could afford to run for Congress in great numbers, we used our identity politics lens to identify those who would get us as close to progress as possible—voting in tandem with others of different backgrounds and challenges. The difference today is that identity is no longer a sidebar; for millions, their concerns may be front and center as they vet those who would speak for them. When leaders refused to see my family, my parents voted for those who would, and the best metric was someone who looked like us and had experiences like us. Then, as now, identity matters. I embrace identity politics because for the marginalized, the disadvantaged, and the minority groups still grappling for purchase in our politics, identity is the strongest defense against invisibility.