Why it’s newsworthy: Deborah Scott strives for women to support women through being one bird of a flock, and continues to mobilize women to show up in their community and have a place at the table.

Deborah Scott, the executive director of Georgia Stand-Up, says that all women have a responsibility to each other to influence change and to train the next generation of activists.

“Birds of a feather must flock together,” Scott said Tuesday night at the Women’s History Month Keynote Speech.

Scott, a social rights leader and executive director of STAND-UP, gave a keynote speech at the event organized by the UGA Institute for Women’s Studies. She attempted to mobilize and inspire women — and “a few good men” — to join together and lead the charge against voter suppression in Georgia.

With around 70 participants on the Zoom call, Scott told about 70 participants on the Zoom call how the female leaders on the front lines such as Stacey Abrams, Helen Butler and LaTosha Brown are backed by more women.

“We wanna be the one in the back and pushing them and saying you can fly,” she said. 

During her talk, titled “Behind Every Great Woman are Great Women,” she gave a running theme of birds coming together and staying in a “squad.” She says that every woman has a responsibility to one another, and everyone plays a role. 

Scott and her group — STAND-UP — participated in a die-in at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta on Monday. She said this sent a message to large companies like The Coca-Cola Co. that voters are unhappy with what policies their campaign donations are going to. 

If women want to be in the conversation, they have to show up, which is possible through voter mobilization, she said. She said women have to show up, and this can be made possible through voter mobilization.

Scott criticized Georgia’s latest policies at the capitol, which she believes is voter suppression. Through STAND-UP, Scott  organized “Souls to the Polls” and “Party at the Polls.” She would bring black voters from church to vote, and provide food and water to voters in long lines to encourage them to stay. She said these efforts would be illegal if they were passed at the state capital. 

Scott used PowerPoints and videos to keep the talk personable and interactive rather than formal. 

“I thought she did a really good job at just keeping like everyone engaged,” said Mehak Sampat, a second-year biology and psychology major at UGA. “It just felt like very like female empowerment.”

Scott wanted to get women excited, and motivated to be active in their community. She says she is getting women ready for the fight that is right now.

“You have to light your own fire, there is no baton to pass,” Scott said.