Stacey Abrams joins faculty at Howard University
Abrams to take hybrid teaching position at Howard
Voting rights leader and two-time Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is joining the faculty at one of the nation’s most prestigious HBCUs.
It was announced this week that Howard University will be appointing Abrams as the Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics starting this fall.
It is Abrams’ biggest step towards reestablishing her public profile following back-to-back losses to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
“Stacey Abrams has proven herself an essential voice and eager participant in protecting American democracy — not just for certain populations, but for everyone with the fundamental right to make their voices heard,” Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a statement.
“As the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair, Ms. Abrams’s selection not only honors the work and legacy of renowned political strategist and scholar Dr. Ronald Walters, it expands on that legacy by bringing Howard students in dialogue with a contemporary candidate whose work has directly influenced today’s political landscape.”
Abrams will not be a traditional professor — she plans to maintain her residence in Atlanta. But her position will allow her to invite guest speakers, host symposiums and occasionally give lectures.
A practicing attorney and an author, Abrams was first elected to the Georgia legislature in 2006 representing DeKalb County. She then spent several years as the House minority leader before making a historic run for governor in 2018. She raised millions of dollars and excited national Democrats in her bid to become the country’s first Black female governor. But she narrowly lost to Kemp, then Georgia’s Secretary of State, in a controversial election and famously refused to concede defeat.
She then spent the next few years working behind the scenes to register and mobilize new Democratic voters. Many Democratic strategists and activists credit her for President Joe Biden’s win in Georgia, as well as the Democratic sweep in the subsequent U.S. Senate runoffs.
Abrams rode this newfound momentum to a second run for governor in 2022. But she lost by a wider margin as she struggled to make inroads with swing voters who disapproved of the Biden administration and are satisfied with the direction of the state economy under Kemp’s leadership. Nevertheless, she remains one of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable figures.
In addition to her new teaching position, she has resumed going on book tours and plans to co-produce a music documentary with actress Selena Gomez. She also has not ruled out another run for office in the future — though not all Democrats are enamored.
interesting move on her behalf...stay involved....