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

by Stacey Abrams

Single-strand identities do not exist in a household, let alone in a nation. When America is at its best, we acknowledge the complexity of our societies and the complicating reality of how we experience this country—and its obstacles. Yet we never lose sight of the fact that we all want the same thing. We want education. We want economic security. We want health care. Identity politics pushes leaders to understand that because of race, class, gender, sexual orientation/gender identity, and national origin, people confront obstacles that stem from these identities. Successful leaders who wish to engage the broadest coalition of voters have to demonstrate that they understand that the barriers are not uniform and, moreover, that they have plans to tackle these impediments. The greatest politicians display both of these capacities, and they never forget that the destination—regardless of identity—is the same: safety, security, and opportunity. The goals of social justice movements and the imprimatur of identity politics have a common objective: to create permanent, unassailable legal protections that guarantee no one can strip another of fundamental rights guaranteed by citizenship. Yet, as with the core issue of voting rights, without inviolate protections, no marginalized group is ever truly safe.