The George Mason University class of 2020 will hear life advice from failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams during its commencement ceremony on Friday.
In a press release from the school, Abrams is described as a “former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, author, entrepreneur and voting rights advocate.” The public can watch her remarks at 2 p.m. via a livestream.
The upcoming speech is the latest example of Abrams’s lingering star quality, 18 months after she lost the Georgia gubernatorial race to Republican Brian Kemp 50.2%-48.8% — a strong showing for a liberal Democrat, to be sure, but hardly a nail-biter. Her persistent campaign to become Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick has resulted in numerous interviews, including a Washington Post profile with a photo that depicts her as almost Jesus-like.
For weeks, Abrams has publicly lobbied to be Biden’s running mate. Her explicit appeals to Biden have set her apart from the rest of his running mate possibilities, as potential vice presidential picks typically promote themselves behind the scenes.
She has stated that she would have “concerns” if Biden, himself a former vice president, did not choose a woman of color as his running mate, while reports have surfaced showing she’s not a leading contender for the slot.
“As a young black woman growing up in Mississippi, I learned that if you don’t raise your hand, people won’t see you, and they won’t give you attention,” Abrams told CNN’s Jake Tapper in April. “But it’s not about attention for being the running mate. It is about making sure that my qualifications aren’t in question because they’re not just speaking to me. They’re speaking to young black women, young women of color, young people of color, who wonder if they, too, can be seen.”
In an interview with Elle magazine last month, Abrams said her “25 years in independent study of foreign policy” gave her some of the requisite qualifications for the spot.
