has been covering politics for more than two decades. The lawyer turned award-winning journalist is a cohost on Politicon’s podcast, and when it comes to this year’s historic , Atkins Stohr is deeply committed to helping voters understand and make sense of the issues at stake. She recently launched a new podcast, which “explores how justice is meticulously crafted in our society, bringing to the table the heroes working on the ground to find real solutions to our most pressing issues.
” ESSENCE had a chance to sit down with Atkins Stohr after Vice President Kamala Harris became the next Democratic presidential nominee to discuss the current political landscape. The columnist was quick to dispel notions that a Black woman would be unable to win the election, countering with “As someone who’s covered politics for as long as I have, there is this fear that is based on what other people will or won’t do, particularly among Democrats that just does not exist on the conservative side in that same way.” The bottom line is that “people need to vote who they want, people need to vote their conscious, not vote strategically, not vote defensively, but really support the candidates who they want to back,” Atkins Stohr emphatically stated.
Atkins Stohr believes the most important issue this election is “Black women’s healthcare, particularly when it comes to reproductive freedom. That’s a core part of liberty. It gets to the economy, it gets to the ability to choose one’s family and it gets to the ability to support one’s family.
That is something that has really been galvanized, and it’s one reason why immediately after Vice President Harris declared her candidacy, Black women were the first ones to start organizing, because to use a phrase from Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, ‘those closest to the pain understand the importance of the power,’ and they acted immediately.” When it comes to the vitriolic attacks against Harris because of her race, Atkins Stohr commented how “a part of the attacks from conservatives at this point is a recognition that they’re telling on themselves..
.they want to keep women in these more ‘traditional’ positions in order to protect the power of the white male patriarchy because that is what the entire Republican agenda is based on.” “What I’m heartened by,” says Atkins Stohor, “is the broadening of the coalition around Vice President Harris.
It’s not just Black women who are recognizing this, but people beyond the demographic, who are seeing the truth for what it is.” This broad swath of support is “allowing the momentum that has surrounded Harris’s campaign thus far to come through.” Atkins Stohr alluded to former President Barack Obama’s infectious 2008 campaign, stating “it’s reminding me of the excitement for what could be.
It seems like since then the Democrats have been on the defensive, fighting against what Republicans, what Trump, what conservatives have been doing, and Harris’s candidacy puts Democrats back on the offensive with something positive, in the same way that Barack Obama’s candidacy did.” “I think people getting a taste of the fact that this is a pretty exciting moment for America right now, recognizing progress,” Atkins Stohr told ESSENCE. “We’re turning the page of what has been a really dark period in America, and we have the prospect of having something fresh and inspiring.
It’s really contagious, and this is on the Democrat’s side right now.” “I think if we can get back to a place where there are issues, where Americans can unite around what we have in common, instead of steadfastly focusing on our differences and what divides us, that is how we get there,” said Atkins Stohr. “It won’t happen overnight, but it can happen.
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