Keisha Lance Bottoms: A Triple Threat – Mayor, Former Judge and Former Council Member

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series on the Black women under consideration for Vice President of the United States, inspired in part by a petition to make history with a sistar. Read first in series.

Growing up everyone learns that superheroes are fun fantasies. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms challenges this lesson with a long list of leadership positions and a way with words.

A mother of four adopted children and second woman mayor of Atlanta are the best-known labels applied to Bottoms. Adoption is one of her top priorities, according to her official bio.

Raised from the age of eight by a single mother who cut hair after her songwriter husband went to prison on drug offenses, Mayor Bottoms took swift action to reform the criminal justice system. Since her election in 2017, she eliminated cash bail for minor charges, increased police pay 30 percent and ended agreements with ICE and their detention center.

For a more complete picture of the Atlanta native, the list should include lawyer, former judge and city councilor. Yes, she is a triple threat! Just to be clear, she is not the dancing, singing, acting kind of talent. The 2020 Georgian of the Year has served in all three branches of government — executive, legislative and judiciary. She is the first chief executive of Atlanta to do so.

Seems like this experience from three different perspectives would come in handy in the White House. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden thought so. He is considering Bottoms as a running mate.

After eight years as Vice President of the United States, 32 years as a US Senator representing Delaware and two years on the New Castle County Council, Biden recognizes a talented public servant when he sees one. He surprised many by adding this newcomer to the veepstakes.

Bottom has long lived in the shadow of her better-known sorority sister in Delta Sigma Theta, Stacey Abrams, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018 and is now founder of Fair Fight, a nonprofit fighting voter suppression. But that is not the case anymore.

What a difference a year makes?

A year ago, the first-term mayor endorsed Biden. She was the first big city major to declare her support for the former vice president.

At the time, Biden shared the Democratic debate stage with 19 other candidates, including Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Corey Booker (D-NJ). In fact, the endorsement announcement came in the wake of Harris’s criticism that Biden had worked with segregationists.

Bottom was undeterred. As an early and loyal supporter of Biden, she acknowledges feeling vulnerable and wrote about it in her journal. After all, there have been many ups and downs in Biden’s bid for 1600 Black Live Matter Plaza. Wait, the White House is still on Pennsylvania Avenue. Please excuse this too tempting detour. Back to Bottoms.

She proved her mettle, working hard as an Iowa precinct captain. Biden finished fourth. But she showed her grit and determination.

When asked, the mayor explains her endorsement in her usual colorful language. According to an Associated Press article, she stated, “For me it was most important that we have a president who doesn’t have to walk in the door and figure out where the light switch is, that we have somebody who can lead on Day One.”

The Biden surrogate has become a leading voice on the global pandemic and the protests following George Floyd’s death in police custody. In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Coronavirus, she made national news by emphasizing that Blacks are disproportionately at risk for the disease. She began by stating, “Our communities are sick and tired, and now dying.” She highlighted a jaw-dropping CDC statistic, “…more than 80 percent of those hospitalized by COVID-19 in Georgia were African American.”

Being a memorable congressional witness seems to come naturally to Bottom. Her straight talk in a city of equivocators stands out. But her biggest, brightest moment arrived with little planning in her birthplace, Atlanta.

Bottoms gave one of the most repeated remarks in the middle of daily protests against policing. During a news conference, she said, “I am a mother to four black children in America, one of whom is 18 years old. And when I saw the murder of George Floyd, I hurt like a mother would hurt. And yesterday when I heard there were rumors about violent protests in Atlanta, I did what a mother would do. I called my son, and I said, ‘Where are you?’ I said, ‘I cannot protect you, and black boys shouldn’t be out today.’” Her passionate calls to end violence captured a common theme where she combines the best of being a mother and a mayor.

On Twitter, these two roles are constantly on display. She posts pictures showing off her cooking pancakes, a cake and freshly squeezed lemonade. Seamlessly blended together are photographs of her children and mother, official documents, media interviews, meetings and events.

Bottom’s sense of humor shines through too. During the COVID-19 shutdown, she took a picture of her mother with the caption, “Mama can’t come in the house, but she pulled up in the driveway to lay eyes on us.”

The future looks bright for Bottoms regardless of whether she becomes the first Black woman elected Vice President of the United States. She is a rising star.

Holli L. Holliday is president of Sisters Lead Sisters Vote, a nonprofit c4 organization for, by and of black women.

Image Credits: Twitter.