Channeling Her Mother’s Resilience, Willie Mae Oyogoa Fights for What’s Right

This profile is the first in a series about candidates for legislative districts we are targeting to flip in November. In 2020, a Her Term candidate came close to winning House District 44 in Cobb County; Rep. Don Parsons, who has held the office since 2013, ended up winning re-election by a narrow margin. Now the district is trending blue in double digits, and we are excited about the Democrat’s chances this year.

A Chance to Make History with Women on the Ballot

This year, we're starting a series of articles called GA Pol 101, which will examine the history of Georgia politics through the lens of women, to better understand how we got here.

We're very proud of the 1st installment that Sheri Panovka wrote about this year's historic election in Georgia. It's filled with quotes from Jina Sanone, Melita Easters of Georgia WIN List, Kimberlyn Carter of Represent Georgia, State Senator Jen Jordan, and State Representative Renitta Shannon. This is definitely a piece to share with anyone who wants to understand where women stand in this moment in history.

Learning from Bee about Securing our Elections

Bee Nguyen made history as well as local headlines in 2017, when she became the first Asian-American Democratic woman to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly (winning the seat previously held by Stacey Abrams). Now, she’s making headlines nationally as she campaigns to become Georgia’s third female and first Asian-American secretary of state. If she wins, she’ll also be the first Asian-American to hold statewide office in Georgia.

Nguyen (pronounced “win”), a daughter of Vietnamese refugees, faces competition in the Democratic primary in May. Four others ­— all men — have declared their candidacy. Of the five, Nguyen is the only one currently serving in the government, which is especially significant given the politically charged environment.

Getting to know Nakita Hemingway for Agriculture

Nakita Hemingway was born in Savannah, Georgia and raised in Decatur, Georgia. She is one of three siblings in a single parent home where a passion for helping others was instilled from a young age. “Those years of my life were the most profound, because that’s when our beliefs and values for working and fighting for people were formed.” Hemingway says. Driven by her mother, they always found a way to give back, from letting someone sleep on their couch to giving away their Christmas presents to kids who didn’t have any.

“My values are not focused on material things, they’re focused on people.”

Hemingway spent her summers with relatives in South Georgia. There, she learned all there is to know about farming from her farmer grandparents. Her time on the farm formed a lot of who she is now and what she cares about.

Behind the Scenes with Nicole Horn for Labor

Nothing is more important to Nicole Horn than ensuring all Georgians have equal job opportunities and an effective safety net when they need one. Horn speaks with authority; growing up with a father who worked seasonal jobs during the warm months, her family relied on unemployment benefits to get by during the rest of the year.

“My father was a union member, and my mom was a nurse. They were people who worked really hard,” Horn says. “He depended on unemployment every winter, because he would be laid off. We lived paycheck to paycheck, and there wasn’t a lot of wiggle room. So, when I think about people going four to six months without unemployment benefits — benefits they earned — I know it is not an easy task. And it’s not something we’re talking about enough.”

Horn knows what it’s like to count every penny from her days working an hourly job as a waitress in her teens and early 20s. The last 15 years also taught her how to run a business and balance budgets. As a business owner, she has watched employees start families and buy their first houses because of the jobs she could offer them.

“These experiences inform how I will lead the Department of Labor,” says Horn, who is running to be Georgia’s next labor commissioner.

Research Fellow Lydia Johnson talks about changing the status quo

The legacy of American politics thus far has been dictated by mostly men — a status quo culture that is reflected in our state and local governments as well. Yet, my entire adult life, albeit short, the polarized nature of U.S. politics has undoubtedly become more stark. The basic rights of Americans — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — are, amazingly, being reevaluated and reinterpreted as we speak. We are at the cusp of a tipping point, and, now more than ever, we should be looking for candidates and elected officials to act in our, the people’s, best interests.

So, the question I ask is: where are we now, and what will it take for us to tip the scale in favor of a more representative society?

Her Term: Grassroots organization recruits women to run for office

Right before the 2017 Special Elections in November, Atlanta INtown and reporter Clare Richie featured Her Term to highlight the phenomenon of more women on the ballot. Also featured are testimonials from candidates and the impact of Her Term on their campaigns.