Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has made her Ebony debut as one of the stars of the magazine’s October/November political issue, in which she discusses everything from U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) detainees to her highly-requested collard greens.
» RELATED: Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms lands 'Ebony' cover alongside Harris, Booker
In an exclusive excerpt obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she reveals how motherhood influenced her decision to sign an executive order prohibiting the city’s jail from accepting new ICE detainees following President Donald Trump’s policies that separated children from their parents at the Mexican border.
“Above everything else, I’m a mom, and to watch children being separated from their parents really made me give a lot of thought to what our role was from the city of Atlanta’s perspective,” she said. “...it’s a $7 million infusion into our general fund budget each year, so it is a significant stance that we’ve taken. But when it comes to families and our moral responsibility, I don’t think there’s a price tag that can be placed on that.”
» RELATED: Atlanta Mayor Bottoms orders jail to refuse new ICE detainees
The politician, who is joined by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on the cover, also talks about balancing her personal and work life and becoming the second black woman mayor of the Peach City.
“Atlanta is this city where I grew up, where you really could see and believe that you could do anything that you wanted to do, and there was nothing that would stop you as a woman or an African-American. Obviously, it’s important for the representation, for little girls especially, little Black girls all over this country. But it really is just about being a good mayor.”
When Bottoms isn’t making policy decisions for the city, she shared she’s often in the kitchen whipping up something for her family to eat. Her collard greens are her specialty. In fact, she plans to go head to head with North Carolina political leader Rev. Bishop Barber in a cook-off.
“I know I’m going to win!” she said.
The magazine hits stands later this month. In the meantime, learn more about the latest issue here.
About the Author
