Stacey Abrams Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize

Stacey Abrams, a Georgia politician and voting rights activist, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in acknowledgment of her work to promote change through voting and advocating for voters’ rights, Norwegian parliament member Lars Hatbrakken announced on Feb. 1.

Hatbrakken considers Abrams’ activism a continuation of that of Martin Luther King Jr.: “Abrams’ work follows in [his] footsteps in the fight for equality before the law and for civil rights… Abrams’ efforts to complete King’s work are crucial if the United States of America shall succeed in its effort to create fraternity between all its peoples and a peaceful and just society.” 

Abrams is credited with boosting voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election, especially in the key swing state of Georgia. Her efforts also helped Democrats win the senatorial races that determined control of the Senate. 

After losing the 2018 gubernatorial election against Brian Kemp, a race in which Kemp was accused of engaging in voter suppression, Abrams founded and currently chairs Fair Fight Action, a national voting rights organization aimed to fight voter suppression, especially in the states of Georgia and Texas. 

Thousands of people are able to nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize; however, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the recipients of the prize, does not disclose nominees until 50 years later. For this reason, one’s nomination is revealed by the nominators themselves, not the Committee. Other nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize include Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, the Black Lives Matter movement, former senior Trump advisor Jared Kushner, and the World Health Organization.

The 2021 laureate for the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in October of this yea