Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin was the first Black woman to become a mayor of any major Southern city. Now she hopes Vice President Kamala Harris breaks another glass ceiling.
Franklin joined “Politically Georgia” on Wednesday to talk about Harris’ campaign.
“I think there’s a lot of energy, it’s really been amazing, and political pundits on all sides are acknowledging that,” she said of Harris, a Black and Indian American woman rising to the top of the Democratic ticket.
Franklin worked with Atlanta Mayors Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young before running for the position herself in 2001.
“I would just be Andy one day and Maynard another until I got comfortable being myself and finding my voice,” she said. “Now, the vice president doesn’t have that problem because she’s been a candidate, and she’s been a successful candidate and a successful political leader for a couple of decades.”
Franklin also shares two powerful networks with Harris. Both women are graduates of Howard University, a historically Black institution. Both leaders are also members of “D9″ sororities, which are also historically Black.
“They have organized for decades, and they are bringing their resources,” Franklin said. “It’s just part of the DNA of the organizations and HBCUs.”
But being elected a historic first, Franklin also faced backlash.
Franklin talked about generational differences she faced while running. She recalled a time when she was knocking on doors during her campaign as mayor, and a Black woman in her 70s said that she wouldn’t vote for her.
“And she said, ‘I just don’t think a woman should do that hard a job,’ ” Franklin recalled. “And I said, ‘Well, don’t you think I’m strong enough?’ She said, ‘You are, but I don’t think that’s befitting of a woman.’ ”
With all that she faced in mind, Franklin says Harris must keep her eye on the ball during this truncated campaign.
“I ran for 20 months, so unlike, four or five months,” she said. “So I had a chance to start out small with a small group of people, small coffee, coffees and meetings.”
“The early enthusiasm does not automatically translate into a winning campaign,” Franklin cautioned. “(Harris) made it very clear that she is running from behind, (and) she knows how hard it’s going to be.”
Thursday on “Politically Georgia”: State Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, a delegate to next week’s Democratic National Convention, joins the show. Also joining the show is Melita Easters, the founder of Georgia’s Win List, an organization dedicated to electing Democratic women.
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