Stacey Abrams ties DEI to the history of America, access to education, elections and economic rights

“We got it right on paper, but really wrong in every other way,” Abrams told Fortune reporter Diane Brady at the Impact Conference in Atlanta. “We’ve spent 248 years in active engagement in righting the record—we call it diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Previously serving as a minority leader for the Georgia House of Representatives, and widely credited with turning the state blue in a major upset during the 2020 presidential election, went on to say that DEI has been pivotal in removing barriers to education, the economy and elections in the U.S.. Abrams cited the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Title IX as examples of DEI initiatives. 

“We have to talk about it because people don’t understand how they benefit,” she said. 

And she went on to warn that focusing on only some elements of DEI, like race, was limiting and potentially destructive. And she added that undoing the race components of DEI affects the empathy for every other protected class. 

When it comes to the looming election in November, Abrams urged voters to move beyond the discomfort inherent in talking about their differences. “We should be talking about protecting each other,” she said. “How do our stories unite us? What’s the American dream?”

Asked whether she’s hopeful about the future, Abrams responded that she doesn’t “do hope.” Or optimism. Or pessimism, even. She’s simply determined. 

“I don’t know what will happen, but I know what I can do, and I focus on my actions,” she said. “The glass is half full, but it’s probably poisoned, so my job is to find the antidote.”