The Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia, Stacey Abrams, helped torch a state flag on the steps of the state’s Capitol in June 1992, as part of a protest that her campaign on Monday night characterized as an effort to “overcome racially divisive issues,” Fox News informed.
The flag at the time incorporated designs from the Confederate battle flag, and Abrams, then a freshman at Atlanta’s Spelman College, was one of about a dozen demonstrators involved, according to contemporaneous newspaper accounts and several social media posts that surfaced the issue late Monday.
Abrams is set to face off in a debate on Tuesday against her Republican opponent, two-term Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who had called her an “extreme” candidate before Monday’s dramatic revelation.
The two are neck-and-neck according to most polls; Abrams is hoping to become the first female black governor in the country’s history.
“During Stacey Abrams’ college years, Georgia was at a crossroads, struggling with how to overcome racially divisive issues, including symbols of the Confederacy, the sharpest of which was the inclusion of the Confederate emblem in the Georgia state flag,” read a statement from Abrams’ campaign, first obtained by The New York Times. “This conversation was sweeping across Georgia as numerous organizations, prominent leaders, and students engaged in the ultimately successful effort to change the flag.”
The statement continued by highlighting Abrams’ long career in local politics.
“Abrams’ time in public service as deputy city attorney and as a state legislative leader have all been focused on bringing people together to solve problems,” her campaign said.
Last year, Abrams, 44, called for the removal of a Confederate carving in Stone Mountain, saying it was a symbol of white supremacy. Kemp defended the carving for its historical value.
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