One of the traditional rites of passage for political candidates is the revelation of financial status - a catechism-like recital of money mistakes made and debts owed.

I grew up one of six children with working-class parents in the Deep South. My mother was a college librarian, and my father worked in a shipyard. I never saw them balance a checkbook, but they kept a roof over our heads and got all six of us into college.

Money dictates nearly step of social mobility from the very first moments of life. How much our parents make often determines whether we go to college. It affects the jobs we get offered and the ones we can afford to take.

Stacey Abrams Quotes