Nsé Ufot is an activist, community organizer, and the former chief executive officer of the New Georgia Project, a voter support and legal action nonprofit organization founded by Stacey Abrams in 2013. Ufot's organizing efforts in the Georgia 2020 United States presidential election and the 2021 run-off election contributed to turning the state blue.[1] In 2021, she was named one of Time's 100 Next, nominated by Ai-jen Poo.[2] Ufot was fired from the New Georgia Project in 2022, with the group stating that she owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in non-work related expenses.[3]
Nsé Ufot | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ufot in 2019 | |
| Born | Nseabasi Ufot |
| Education | Georgia Institute of Technology (BS) University of Dayton (JD) |
| Employer | New Georgia Project |
| Known for | Voting rights activism |
| Honours | 2021 Time 100 Next |
Early life and education
editUfot was born in Nigeria and was raised in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia.[4][5] Ufot cites her experience as a naturalized American citizen as a driver for her commitment to ensuring voting rights.[6] When she was 14, she served as a page for the Georgia House of Representatives.[4] She attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for her undergraduate studies, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 2002.[7] She then attended the University of Dayton School of Law, where she received her Juris Doctor degree.
Career
editUfot began her career as a corporate lawyer before becoming a labor rights lobbyist and advocate. She was the assistant executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, Canada's largest faculty union, and later served as the Senior Lobbyist and Government Relations Officer for the American Association of University Professors.[4]
She then became the CEO of the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan, non-profit organization founded by Stacey Abrams to educate and register voters of color in Georgia, and its associated action fund, which supports reforms to increase the civic participation of communities of color.[8] Prior to the 2020 United States presidential election, the New Georgia Project registered over 500,000 Georgians to vote.[9] In the lead-up to the January 2021 Congressional run-off election, Ufot organized volunteers to knock on over two million doors in Georgia, registering nearly 7,000 people in the 30 days following the November general election.[10]
In 2022, Ufot was fired without notice from the New Georgia Project. Financial disclosures from the group indicate that Ufot owes the New Georgia Project hundreds of thousands of dollars in "non-work-related" expenses. The disclosures also revealed that the New Georgia Project paid $533,846 in consulting fees and a $67,500 grant to the Black Male Initiative, a charity involving Ufot's brother. Ufot denied owing money while the Black Male Initiative has denied receiving these payments.[3][11]
Award and honors
edit- 40 Under 40, Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 2020[12]
- Time 100 Next, 2021[2]
- "Great Immigrant, Great American" selected by the Carnegie Corporation in 2021[13][14]
References
edit- ^ Bunch, Will (November 12, 2020). "How Georgia's women of color beat voter suppression and saved democracy | Will Bunch". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ a b "2021 TIME100 Next: Nsé Ufot". Time. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ a b "'I's Dotted and T's Crossed': Stacey Abrams' Nonprofit Faces Potential Scandal As Probe Seeks Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars In Missing Funds". Atlanta Black Star. November 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Nsé Ufot has ambitious goals for Georgia's voter rolls". The Fulcrum. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ Landrum, Irna (June 14, 2019). "As she works to expand voting power, Nse Ufot brings art and culture to voting rights activism". Daily Kos. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ Burch, Audra D. S. (2020-12-29). "Turning Out the Vote in Georgia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ "Nseabasi Ufot, Psy 02". www.gtalumni.org. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
- ^ Uyeda, Ray Levy (5 January 2021). "Inside the New Georgia Project, the Stacey Abrams org that's trying to register every POC in the state". Mic. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ Srikanth, Anagha (2020-11-06). "Meet five women who helped get out the vote in Georgia with Stacey Abrams". TheHill. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ "Activist Nsé Ufot discusses Georgia's voting success". news.yahoo.com. 9 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ "Voting group founded by Abrams, once led by Warnock, faces financial scrutiny". Politico. November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Alumni Association Honors Three Sciences Grads in Inaugural 40 Under 40 List | School of Biological Sciences | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA". biosciences.gatech.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
- ^ "Nsé Ufot". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "Carnegie Corporation of New York Honors 34 Great Immigrants for Their Contributions to Our Democracy - Congresswoman Young Kim". 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2024-06-18.