Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams will receive the first-ever Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award at the 2014 We Are EMILY awards dinner on April 29 in Washington, D.C.
Abrams, 40, is the first woman to lead the Georgia General Assembly and the first Black woman to lead the Georgia House of Representatives. The Mississippi native is a graduate of Spelman College, Yale Law School and the University of Texas at Austin, where she received her Master’s degree in public policy. Once elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2006, Abrams made a name for herself as a truly bipartisan leader. Key issues for Abrams have been healthcare and education.
“Stacey Abrams has shown us an extraordinary commitment to community, dedication to women and families, and civility that have been the highlights of former Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ career, in and out of office,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List, in a press release.
EMILY’s List, the largest resource for American women in politics, created the Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award to recognize outstanding female lawmakers. Giffords will be in attendance at the dinner to present Abrams with the award.