0:00:01.349,0:00:03.538
When I was in high school[br]at the age of 17 --

0:00:03.562,0:00:07.245
I graduated from high school[br]in Decatur, Georgia,

0:00:07.269,0:00:09.494
as valedictorian of my high school --

0:00:09.952,0:00:11.446
I was very proud of myself.

0:00:11.470,0:00:14.783
I was from a low-income community,[br]I had grown up in Mississippi,

0:00:14.807,0:00:16.635
we'd moved from Mississippi to Georgia

0:00:16.659,0:00:22.445
so my parents could pursue their degrees[br]as United Methodist ministers.

0:00:22.469,0:00:25.112
We were poor, but they didn't think[br]we were poor enough,

0:00:25.136,0:00:27.112
so they were going for permanent poverty.

0:00:27.136,0:00:28.403
(Laughter)

0:00:28.427,0:00:30.363
And so, while they studied at Emory,

0:00:30.387,0:00:33.521
I studied at Avondale,[br]and I became valedictorian.

0:00:33.989,0:00:37.239
Well, one of the joys of being[br]valedictorian in the state of Georgia

0:00:37.263,0:00:40.330
is that you get invited[br]to meet the governor of Georgia.

0:00:40.720,0:00:43.320
I was mildly interested in meeting him.

0:00:44.482,0:00:45.672
It was kind of cool.

0:00:45.696,0:00:49.205
I was more intrigued by the fact[br]that he lived in a mansion,

0:00:49.229,0:00:52.025
because I watched a lot[br]of "General Hospital" and "Dynasty"

0:00:52.049,0:00:53.206
as a child.

0:00:53.230,0:00:54.880
(Laughter)

0:00:54.904,0:00:58.934
And so I got up that morning,[br]ready to go to visit the governor.

0:00:58.958,0:01:02.156
My mom and my dad,[br]who were also invited, got up,

0:01:02.180,0:01:03.442
and we went outside.

0:01:03.466,0:01:05.331
But we didn't get in our car.

0:01:05.355,0:01:08.607
And in the South,[br]a car is a necessary thing.

0:01:08.631,0:01:11.974
We don't have a lot of public transit,[br]there aren't a lot of options.

0:01:11.998,0:01:14.331
But if you're lucky enough[br]to live in a community

0:01:14.355,0:01:15.657
where you don't have a car,

0:01:15.681,0:01:17.807
the only option is public transit.

0:01:17.831,0:01:19.488
And that's what we had to take.

0:01:20.006,0:01:21.815
And so we got on the bus.

0:01:21.839,0:01:25.260
And we took the bus from Decatur[br]all the way to Buckhead,

0:01:25.284,0:01:29.680
where the Governor's Mansion sat[br]on this really beautiful acreage of land,

0:01:29.704,0:01:32.717
with these long black gates[br]that ran the length of the property.

0:01:33.101,0:01:34.697
We get to the Governor's Mansion,

0:01:34.721,0:01:37.688
we pull the little lever[br]that lets them know this is our stop,

0:01:37.712,0:01:38.887
we get off the bus,

0:01:38.911,0:01:41.585
my mom, my dad and I,[br]we walk across the street.

0:01:41.609,0:01:44.728
We walk up the driveway,[br]because there are cars coming up,

0:01:44.752,0:01:47.741
cars bringing in students[br]from all across the state of Georgia.

0:01:47.765,0:01:49.374
So we're walking along the side.

0:01:49.398,0:01:51.476
And as we walk single file along the side,

0:01:51.500,0:01:55.137
my mom and dad sandwiching me to make sure[br]I don't get hit by one of the cars

0:01:55.161,0:01:56.970
bringing in the other valedictorians,

0:01:56.994,0:01:58.843
we approach the guard gate.

0:01:58.867,0:02:01.259
When we get to the guard gate,[br]the guard comes out.

0:02:01.283,0:02:04.153
He looks at me,[br]and he looks at my parents,

0:02:04.177,0:02:07.195
and he says, "You don't belong here,[br]this is a private event."

0:02:07.839,0:02:11.751
My dad says, "No, this is my daughter,[br]Stacey. She's one of the valedictorians."

0:02:12.109,0:02:15.276
But the guard doesn't look[br]at the checklist that's in his hands.

0:02:15.300,0:02:17.236
He doesn't ask my mom for the invitation

0:02:17.260,0:02:19.800
that's at the bottom[br]of her very voluminous purse.

0:02:20.228,0:02:22.617
Instead, he looks[br]over our shoulder at the bus,

0:02:22.641,0:02:26.722
because in his mind, the bus is telling[br]him a story about who should be there.

0:02:27.300,0:02:30.656
And the fact that we were too poor[br]to have our own car --

0:02:30.680,0:02:33.037
that was a story he told himself.

0:02:33.061,0:02:35.323
And he may have seen[br]something in my skin color,

0:02:35.347,0:02:37.268
he may have seen something in my attire;

0:02:37.292,0:02:39.220
I don't know what went through his mind.

0:02:39.244,0:02:41.742
But his conclusion was[br]to look at me again,

0:02:41.766,0:02:43.357
and with a look of disdain, say,

0:02:43.381,0:02:46.815
"I told you, this is a private event.[br]You don't belong here."

0:02:47.355,0:02:50.587
Now, my parents were studying to become[br]United Methodist ministers,

0:02:50.611,0:02:52.627
but they were not pastors yet.

0:02:52.651,0:02:55.016
(Laughter)

0:02:55.040,0:02:58.024
And so they proceeded[br]to engage this gentleman

0:02:58.048,0:03:00.996
in a very robust discussion[br]of his decision-making skills.

0:03:01.020,0:03:02.381
(Laughter)

0:03:02.405,0:03:03.842
My father may have mentioned

0:03:03.866,0:03:06.564
that he was going to spend eternity[br]in a very fiery place

0:03:06.588,0:03:08.770
if he didn't find my name[br]on that checklist.

0:03:09.215,0:03:11.930
And indeed, the man checks[br]the checklist eventually,

0:03:11.954,0:03:14.276
and he found my name,[br]and he let us inside.

0:03:14.927,0:03:17.511
But I don't remember meeting[br]the governor of Georgia.

0:03:18.006,0:03:20.633
I don't recall meeting[br]my fellow valedictorians

0:03:20.657,0:03:22.553
from 180 school districts.

0:03:22.577,0:03:24.717
The only clear memory I have of that day

0:03:24.741,0:03:27.879
was a man standing in front[br]of the most powerful place in Georgia,

0:03:27.903,0:03:30.903
looking at me and telling me[br]I don't belong.

0:03:31.776,0:03:35.101
And so I decided, 20-some-odd years later,

0:03:35.125,0:03:37.569
to be the person[br]who got to open the gates.

0:03:38.085,0:03:41.600
(Cheers)

0:03:41.624,0:03:45.532
(Applause)

0:03:47.140,0:03:49.783
Unfortunately, you may have read[br]the rest of the story.

0:03:49.807,0:03:51.544
It didn't quite work out that way.

0:03:51.568,0:03:55.329
And now I'm tasked with figuring out:[br]How do I move forward?

0:03:55.953,0:03:59.543
Because, you see, I didn't just want[br]to open the gates for young black women

0:03:59.567,0:04:02.350
who had been underestimated[br]and told they don't belong.

0:04:02.374,0:04:06.363
I wanted to open those gates[br]for Latinas and for Asian Americans.

0:04:06.387,0:04:10.496
I wanted to open those gates[br]for the undocumented and the documented.

0:04:10.520,0:04:13.937
I wanted to open those gates[br]as an ally of the LGBTQ community.

0:04:13.961,0:04:15.314
I wanted to open those gates

0:04:15.338,0:04:18.855
for the families that have to call[br]themselves the victims of gun violence.

0:04:18.879,0:04:21.649
I wanted to open those gates wide[br]for everyone in Georgia,

0:04:21.673,0:04:24.035
because that is our state,[br]and this is our nation,

0:04:24.059,0:04:25.592
and we all belong here.

0:04:26.085,0:04:28.505
(Cheers)

0:04:28.529,0:04:32.068
(Applause)

0:04:34.006,0:04:38.202
But what I recognized[br]is that the first try wasn't enough.

0:04:38.966,0:04:41.506
And my question became:[br]How do I move forward?

0:04:41.530,0:04:47.141
How do I get beyond the bitterness[br]and the sadness and the lethargy

0:04:47.165,0:04:51.220
and watching an inordinate amount[br]of television as I eat ice cream?

0:04:51.244,0:04:52.776
(Laughter)

0:04:52.800,0:04:54.513
What do I do next?

0:04:55.498,0:04:58.149
And I'm going to do what I've always done.

0:04:58.173,0:05:01.324
I'm going to move forward,[br]because going backwards isn't an option

0:05:01.348,0:05:03.045
and standing still is not enough.

0:05:03.673,0:05:08.182
(Applause)

0:05:08.206,0:05:11.373
You see, I began my race for governor

0:05:11.397,0:05:14.593
by analyzing who I was[br]and what I wanted to be.

0:05:14.617,0:05:17.696
And there are three questions[br]I ask myself about everything I do,

0:05:17.720,0:05:20.315
whether it's running for office[br]or starting a business;

0:05:20.339,0:05:22.553
when I decided to start[br]the New Georgia Project

0:05:22.577,0:05:23.918
to register people to vote;

0:05:23.942,0:05:27.291
or when I started the latest action,[br]Fair Fight Georgia.

0:05:27.315,0:05:30.032
No matter what I do,[br]I ask myself three questions:

0:05:30.056,0:05:31.333
What do I want?

0:05:31.357,0:05:33.025
Why do I want it?

0:05:33.049,0:05:34.357
And how do I get it?

0:05:35.048,0:05:37.570
And in this case, I know what I want.

0:05:37.594,0:05:39.363
I want change.

0:05:39.387,0:05:40.699
That is what I want.

0:05:40.723,0:05:42.265
But the question is:

0:05:43.109,0:05:45.042
What change do I want to see?

0:05:45.656,0:05:48.325
And I know that the questions[br]I have to ask myself are:

0:05:48.349,0:05:51.307
One, am I honest about the scope[br]of my ambition?

0:05:51.744,0:05:55.212
Because it's easy to figure out[br]that once you didn't get what you wanted,

0:05:55.236,0:05:58.001
then maybe you should[br]have set your sights a little lower,

0:05:58.025,0:06:00.973
but I'm here to tell you[br]to be aggressive about your ambition.

0:06:00.997,0:06:03.506
Do not allow setbacks to set you back.

0:06:03.530,0:06:07.048
(Applause)

0:06:09.022,0:06:13.299
Number two, let yourself[br]understand your mistakes.

0:06:13.323,0:06:15.482
But also understand their mistakes,

0:06:15.506,0:06:17.053
because, as women in particular,

0:06:17.077,0:06:19.329
we're taught that if something[br]doesn't work out,

0:06:19.353,0:06:20.577
it's probably our fault.

0:06:20.601,0:06:22.998
And usually, there is something[br]we could do better,

0:06:23.022,0:06:25.236
but we've been told[br]not to investigate too much

0:06:25.260,0:06:26.998
what the other side could have done.

0:06:27.022,0:06:28.914
And this isn't partisan -- it's people.

0:06:28.938,0:06:31.736
We're too often told[br]that our mistakes are ours alone,

0:06:31.760,0:06:33.893
but victory is a shared benefit.

0:06:34.331,0:06:37.086
And so what I tell you to do[br]is understand your mistakes,

0:06:37.110,0:06:39.220
but understand the mistakes of others.

0:06:39.608,0:06:41.599
And be clearheaded about it.

0:06:41.623,0:06:45.179
And be honest with yourself[br]and honest with those who support you.

0:06:46.108,0:06:48.346
But once you know what you want,

0:06:48.370,0:06:50.308
understand why you want it.

0:06:50.647,0:06:53.794
And even though it feels good,[br]revenge is not a good reason.

0:06:53.818,0:06:56.333
(Laughter)

0:06:56.357,0:06:58.434
Instead, make sure you want it

0:06:58.458,0:07:01.921
because there's something[br]not that you should do,

0:07:01.945,0:07:03.921
but something you must do.

0:07:04.383,0:07:07.391
It has to be something[br]that doesn't allow you to sleep at night

0:07:07.415,0:07:08.947
unless you're dreaming about it;

0:07:08.971,0:07:12.431
something that wakes you up in the morning[br]and gets you excited about it;

0:07:12.455,0:07:14.295
or something that makes you so angry,

0:07:14.319,0:07:16.867
you know you have to do[br]something about it.

0:07:16.891,0:07:19.010
But know why you're doing it.

0:07:19.034,0:07:21.423
And know why it must be done.

0:07:22.074,0:07:25.153
You've listened to women[br]from across this world

0:07:25.177,0:07:27.750
talk about why things have to happen.

0:07:27.774,0:07:29.785
But figure out what the "why" is for you,

0:07:29.809,0:07:32.798
because jumping from[br]the "what" to the "do"

0:07:32.822,0:07:35.353
is meaningless if you don't know why.

0:07:35.377,0:07:38.180
Because when it gets hard,[br]when it gets tough,

0:07:38.204,0:07:40.363
when your friends walk away from you,

0:07:40.387,0:07:42.522
when your supporters forget you,

0:07:42.546,0:07:45.156
when you don't win your first race --

0:07:45.180,0:07:47.915
if you don't know why,[br]you can't try again.

0:07:48.363,0:07:50.403
So, first know what you want.

0:07:50.427,0:07:52.450
Second, know why you want it,

0:07:52.474,0:07:54.831
but third, know how[br]you're going to get it done.

0:07:55.323,0:07:57.601
I faced a few obstacles in this race.

0:07:57.625,0:07:59.569
(Laughter)

0:07:59.593,0:08:00.743
Just a few.

0:08:01.090,0:08:02.296
But in the pursuit,

0:08:02.320,0:08:06.533
I became the first black woman[br]to ever become the nominee for governor

0:08:06.557,0:08:10.034
in the history of the United States[br]of America for a major party.

0:08:10.612,0:08:14.617
(Cheers)

0:08:14.653,0:08:18.643
(Applause)

0:08:18.839,0:08:21.458
But more importantly, in this process,

0:08:21.482,0:08:25.744
we turned out 1.2 million[br]African American voters in Georgia.

0:08:25.768,0:08:26.991
That is more voters

0:08:27.015,0:08:30.934
than voted on the Democratic side[br]of the ticket in 2014.

0:08:30.958,0:08:35.418
(Applause)

0:08:35.442,0:08:37.966
Our campaign tripled the number of Latinos

0:08:37.990,0:08:40.775
who believed their voices mattered[br]in the state of Georgia.

0:08:40.799,0:08:42.756
We tripled the number of Asian Americans

0:08:42.780,0:08:45.426
who stood up and said,[br]"This is our state, too."

0:08:45.450,0:08:49.275
Those are successes that tell me[br]how I can get it done.

0:08:49.299,0:08:52.712
But they also let me understand[br]the obstacles aren't insurmountable.

0:08:52.736,0:08:54.331
They're just a little high.

0:08:55.156,0:08:56.719
But I also understand

0:08:56.743,0:09:00.127
that there are three things[br]that always hold us hostage.

0:09:00.649,0:09:02.947
The first is finances.

0:09:03.822,0:09:06.442
Now, you may have heard,[br]I'm in a little bit of debt.

0:09:06.958,0:09:09.617
If you didn't hear about it,[br]you did not go outside.

0:09:09.641,0:09:11.386
(Laughter)

0:09:11.712,0:09:14.609
And finances are something[br]that holds us back so often,

0:09:14.633,0:09:18.433
our dreams are bounded[br]by how much we have in resources.

0:09:18.822,0:09:20.172
But we hear again and again

0:09:20.196,0:09:24.253
the stories of those who overcome[br]those resource challenges.

0:09:24.744,0:09:27.530
But you can't overcome[br]something you don't talk about.

0:09:27.554,0:09:31.170
And that's why I didn't allow them[br]to debt-shame me in my campaign.

0:09:31.569,0:09:35.839
I didn't allow anyone to tell me[br]that my lack of opportunity

0:09:35.863,0:09:38.117
was a reason to disqualify[br]me from running.

0:09:38.141,0:09:40.903
And believe me, people tried[br]to tell me I shouldn't run.

0:09:40.927,0:09:42.784
Friends told me not to run.

0:09:42.808,0:09:44.587
Allies told me not to run.

0:09:44.899,0:09:47.780
"USA Today" mentioned[br]maybe I shouldn't run.

0:09:47.804,0:09:49.026
(Laughter)

0:09:49.050,0:09:50.337
But no matter who it was,

0:09:50.361,0:09:55.104
I understood that finances are often[br]a reason we don't let ourselves dream.

0:09:55.759,0:09:58.570
I can't say that you will always[br]overcome those obstacles,

0:09:58.594,0:10:01.694
but I will tell you,[br]you will be damned if you do not try.

0:10:02.482,0:10:07.591
(Applause)

0:10:07.615,0:10:09.488
The second is fear.

0:10:09.512,0:10:10.846
And fear is real.

0:10:11.267,0:10:12.725
It is paralyzing.

0:10:12.749,0:10:13.982
It is terrifying.

0:10:14.433,0:10:16.433
But it can also be energizing,

0:10:16.919,0:10:19.028
because once you know[br]what you're afraid of,

0:10:19.052,0:10:21.379
you can figure out how to get around it.

0:10:21.403,0:10:23.069
And the third is fatigue.

0:10:23.942,0:10:26.709
Sometimes you just get tired of trying.

0:10:27.314,0:10:31.145
You get tired of reading[br]about processes and politics

0:10:31.169,0:10:34.218
and the things that stop you[br]from getting where you want to be.

0:10:34.774,0:10:39.416
Sometimes, fatigue means that we accept[br]position instead of power.

0:10:39.440,0:10:42.432
We let someone give us a title[br]as a consolation prize,

0:10:42.456,0:10:45.717
rather than realizing we know what we want[br]and we're going to get it,

0:10:45.741,0:10:46.899
even if we're tired.

0:10:46.923,0:10:48.622
That's why God created naps.

0:10:48.646,0:10:50.808
(Laughter)

0:10:51.472,0:10:53.829
But we also learn in those moments

0:10:53.853,0:10:58.846
that fatigue is an opportunity[br]to evaluate how much we want it.

0:10:59.641,0:11:02.196
Because if you are beaten down,

0:11:02.220,0:11:04.950
if you have worked as hard as you can,

0:11:04.974,0:11:07.689
if you have done everything[br]you said you should,

0:11:07.713,0:11:09.286
and it still doesn't work out,

0:11:09.310,0:11:11.898
fatigue can sap you of your energy.

0:11:12.863,0:11:15.303
But that's why you go back[br]to the "why" of it.

0:11:16.156,0:11:19.446
Because I know we have to have women[br]who speak for the voiceless.

0:11:20.113,0:11:22.478
I know we have to have people[br]of good conscience

0:11:22.502,0:11:24.459
who stand up against oppression.

0:11:24.938,0:11:26.684
I know we have to have people

0:11:26.708,0:11:30.033
who understand that social justice[br]belongs to us all.

0:11:30.423,0:11:32.400
And that wakes me up every morning,

0:11:32.424,0:11:34.231
and that makes me fight even harder.

0:11:34.931,0:11:39.200
Because I am moving forward,[br]knowing what is in my past.

0:11:39.224,0:11:41.395
I know the obstacles they have for me.

0:11:41.419,0:11:43.029
I know what they're going to do,

0:11:43.053,0:11:47.022
and I'm fairly certain they're energizing[br]and creating new obstacles now.

0:11:47.046,0:11:49.482
But they've got four years[br]to figure it out.

0:11:49.506,0:11:50.974
(Laughter)

0:11:50.998,0:11:56.044
(Applause)

0:11:56.068,0:11:57.218
Maybe two.

0:11:57.568,0:12:00.039
(Cheers)

0:12:00.059,0:12:02.879
(Applause)

0:12:03.109,0:12:04.433
But here's my point:

0:12:04.887,0:12:07.799
I know what I want, and that is justice.

0:12:07.823,0:12:09.299
I know why I want it,

0:12:09.323,0:12:12.981
because poverty is immoral,[br]and it is a stain on our nation.

0:12:13.005,0:12:14.736
And I know how I'm going to get it:

0:12:14.760,0:12:16.974
by moving forward every single day.

0:12:16.998,0:12:18.220
Thank you so much.

0:12:18.244,0:12:20.704
(Cheers)

0:12:20.728,0:12:24.706
(Applause)