Stacey Abrams, Georgia candidate for governor, has strong Mississippi roots

Stacey Abrams may be Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate — and possibly an election away from becoming that state's first African-American governor — but her Mississippi roots run deep.

Her parents, the Revs. Carolyn and Robert Abrams, both 69, were high school sweethearts who grew up in the segregated South.

The Hattiesburg natives attended the all-black Rowan High School before leaving for Jackson to attend Tougaloo College, where both earned bachelor's degrees.

Hattiesburg Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado said Stacey didn't fall far from the family tree.

"Her mother, when I was growing up, was somewhat of a role model for me," she said. "She was smart. She carried herself in a certain way. She was always No. 1 in anything academic. I wanted to be just like her."

Delgado said Carolyn is a close friend of her brother's.

The Abramses returned to Hattiesburg, where their eldest daughter, Andrea Abrams, 48, was born, but left again a few years later, when the family moved to Wisconsin. Carolyn Abrams earned a master's degree in library science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Stacey Abrams, 44, and her sister Leslie Abrams, 43, were born in Madison, Wisconsin, but raised in Gulfport, where their three youngest siblings were born — brothers Walter Abrams, 39, and Richard Abrams, 41, and sister, Audrey "Jeanine" Abrams McLean, 36.

The family lived in Gulfport until 1989, when Stacey was a junior in high school. Robert and Carolyn Abrams moved the family to Atlanta, where the couple earned master of divinity degrees from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

Four Abrams siblings — Stacey, Leslie, Jeanine and Richard — still live in Atlanta.

Robert and Carolyn Abrams moved back to Mississippi to serve God and their community through the United Methodist Church. 

Robert worked in the prison outreach ministry in Gulfport while Carolyn pastored a church in Wiggins.

The three youngest Abrams children returned to Mississippi with their parents and graduated from Stone County High School. Richard and Jeanine returned to Atlanta, where they live today, along with Stacey and Leslie.

Stacey and the other Abrams children spend a lot of time in Hattiesburg, visiting their parents and each other on many weekends and holidays.

“She is Mississippi raised and Georgia grown,” Carolyn Abrams said of Stacey.

"This is home for them," Delgado said of the children. 

Avid reader and born leader

The Abramses may have had humble beginnings, but they set their sights and expectations high.

“We had three tenets,” Carolyn Abrams said. “They were to go to church, go to school and take care of each other.”

And that's exactly what the children did, their mother said. 

“They were very accomplished children,” Carolyn Abrams said. “Even as kids they loved learning, they loved the challenge — I tell people they read the World Book Encyclopedia for fun. They taught each other."

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But even with a house full of well-educated, well-rounded children, Stacey stood out to her parents. She began reading chapter books at 4 years old, her mother said.

"I knew from a very young age that Stacey would be special," Robert Abrams said. "Throughout her childhood in Mississippi, I watched a young girl grow into a leader dedicated to service."

Stacey graduated from Avondale High School, where she was valedictorian. She earned a bachelor's degree from Spelman College and a master's degree in public policy at the University of Texas at Austin. 

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Both parents worked full time when the children were young, so the children had to take care of each other.

There was a younger set and an older set, Carolyn said, so she assigned Andrea to care for Jeanine. Stacey was assigned to Richard and Leslie was responsible for Walter.

"They grew up being each other’s best friends," Carolyn said. “And that holds now. They circle the wagon when something goes on. They are there for each other.”

Stacey was the natural problem-solver, her mother said.

"She preferred reading to playing outside," Carolyn Abrams said. "The kids called her a walking encyclopedia. She always preferred reading to outdoor play and she’s always cared about people.

"This led, I believe, to her wanting to become governor because this is an area where she can really effect some change."

Stacey credits her parents for instilling in her a civic responsibility. 

She was not available for an interview for this story, but said in a tweet: "My parents are why I believe in a better future for Georgia, and why I will work tirelessly to achieve it."

Siblings' accomplishments compare to sister's

From 2007-17, Stacey represented House District 89 in the Georgia General Assembly, where she was the House minority leader — a first for a woman in either party and the first black leader in the House.

She served on the Appropriations, Ethics, Judiciary Non-Civil, Rules and Ways and Means committees.

Yet, Stacey Abrams isn't the only one of the siblings to make her mark on the world.

She and Leslie earned law degrees at Yale Law School.

Leslie was salutatorian of her high school graduating class before attending Brown University. In 2014 she was appointed a U.S. district judge for Middle Georgia by then-President Barack Obama.

Andrea, who attended Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, is a professor of cultural anthropology at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. She earned a Ph.D. at Emory University.

Richard is a social worker who works with at-risk youth and people in Atlanta. He attended Payne College in Augusta, Georgia. 

"Right now, most of them are working in a service capacity, whether in the church or as a job," Carolyn said.

Walter attended Morehouse College in Atlanta. He lives in Hattiesburg, where he became involved in drugs and struggles with the disease of addiction.

That's one of the reasons Stacey wants to work on criminal justice reform, if elected, her mother said.

“She’s seen firsthand what substance abuse can lead to,” Carolyn said.

Jeanine attended Duke University, then went on to earn a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology at the University of Texas at Austin. She now works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Carolyn and Robert, who have both retired, adopted Walter's daughter, Faith, who is now 12 years old. She has lived with the Abramses since she was 5 days old.

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Career of service to community

The Abrams children went along with their parents wherever they worked, including juvenile detention centers, homeless shelters and soup kitchens.

"They would entertain the children in detention," Carolyn said. "They would sing and put on plays to entertain them."

The children worked on Angel Tree projects, watched their parents as they voted and boycotted a major oil company for its support of apartheid in South Africa.

“Whatever we did they were part of it,” Carolyn said. “They have always been civic-minded. “They have a sense of service.”

"I have known (the Abramses) most of my life," Delgado said. "They're wonderful people and great friends."

"They'd have to be (successful) because of their mom and their dad. He was also an academic. He has always been an activist as well."

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Before getting elected to the House, Stacey was appointed deputy city attorney for the city of Atlanta and was a special tax counsel for a Georgia law firm with a focus on tax-exempt organizations, health care and public finance, according to her legislative biography.

Carolyn said when Stacey was still at Spelman College, her daughter was involved in student activities and government. She became an intern for the city when Maynard Jackson was mayor of Atlanta.

"She worked as a student in his administration, so it’s been there building up," Carolyn said.

Hard work and helping others are two things Stacey is very familiar with, her father said.

"Carolyn and I raised our children with the understanding that we must work every day to do right by others," Robert said. "This commitment shaped Stacey's adolescence in Mississippi and continues to guide her decisions as the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia."

According to her website, Stacey founded the New Georgia Project, which registered more than 200,000 voters of color from 2014-16.

As co-founder of NOW Account — a financial services firm that helps small businesses grow — Stacey has helped create and retain jobs in Georgia. And through her various business ventures, she has helped employ even more Georgians, including hundreds of young people starting out, her website says.

Stacey also co-founded Nourish Inc., a beverage company with a focus on infants and toddlers, and has started other entrepreneurial ventures.

She has had several articles in such publications as the Christian Science Monitor, Huffington Post and U.S. News and World Report.

Under the pen name Selena Montgomery, Stacey is an award-winning author, who has written eight romantic suspense novels, which have sold more than 100,000 copies.

Politics comes with a price

Stacey has visited all but one of Georgia's counties, her mother said, spending time talking to people and learning about their wants and needs.

"She’s making sure she knows the people she is serving," her mother said. "She didn’t decide one day to just be governor. She’s been preparing to see how she can serve the people."

Carolyn said at first she was concerned about her daughter — her safety and well-being.

"I asked her when she first started this if this is what she wanted to do and if she had counted the cost," she said. "She said she had. Of course it exacts a toll on you, because not everybody wants her to become governor. She has to work hard at it and she has to face a lot of obstacles, but she’s willing to take it on.

"She knows how to do that. She is a thinker. She cares about people and wants to see everybody at the table."

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Stacey has already faced criticism, not only for her politics, but for her personal matters. She has had to defend being $220,000 in debt, with $50,000 owed in back taxes and $170,000 in credit cards and student loans.

In response to the outrage sparked by her finances, Stacey wrote a column, published in Fortune, where she explained but did not excuse her financial mistakes.

"I am in debt, but I am not alone," she wrote. "Debt is a millstone that weighs down more than three-quarters of Americans. It can determine whether we are able to run for office, to launch a business, to quit a job we hate. But it should not — and cannot — be a disqualification for ambition."

A month after the column was published, she went on to win the Democratic primary in Georgia.

Robert is confident his daughter is the right person to be the next governor of Georgia.

"She is the candidate to represent and protect all Georgians, and for that I have no doubt that she will become the governor of Georgia," he said in a statement. "Not to mention, she is the best thing that has happened to Georgia since peanuts." 

Stacey's family has supported her efforts throughout her career and now her campaign for the governor's office. Her parents hosted a fundraiser in Hattiesburg for their daughter's campaign and have organized at least one trip to Atlanta for Hattiesburg residents to help on the campaign.

"We’re very proud of her," Carolyn said. "We certainly pray for her because we know that it’s not easy. And there’s danger in this. Not everybody can appreciate the fact that she wants to become governor and that she is a black woman who wants to become governor."

Carolyn is proud not only of her daughter's accomplishments but also about her concern for others.

"She believes she has the ability to help make a change," she said. "We’re proud of her and her siblings are proud of her."