Michelle Obama Honors Stacey Abrams With NAACP Social Justice Impact Award

Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams took home the first-ever NAACP Social Justice Impact Award. Former First Lady Michelle Obama presented it to Abrams during the 52nd annual NAACP Image Awards that was hosted on Saturday, March 27.

BET reported that Obama remarked she was especially impressed by Abrams’ ability to “double down,” after losing her bid for Georgia governor in 2018. Obama reportedly thanked Abrams for putting energy into this country and bringing other people with her.

“Thankfully, she’s just getting started, and I know she’ll make a difference in the years ahead–a beacon of hope, a role model for a younger generation,” Obama said, according to BET.

The pandemic did not make the honor any less special or interactive. Abrams held her prestigious award, while accepting the honor virtually.

“Thank you to the NAACP for honoring me with the first Social Justice Impact Award. I appreciate the recognition, but more importantly, I am grateful for the NAACP’s century of dedication to racial justice, democracy and equality,” Abrams said.

Abrams mentioned that her parents—the Reverend Robert and Carolyn Abrams— taught her and her five siblings that having nothing was not an excuse for doing nothing. They taught her that challenges were opportunities to act. Abrams took opportunities to act by working to end voter suppression, during the 2020 election. The honoree also gave thanks for those who came before her. She further described them as those who used their hands and lives to create the future we deserve. Abrams credited giants and the foot soldiers who never let their circumstances stop them form ensuring that this nation lived up to its ideals.

Watch the Abrams acceptance speech video.