The pulpit at Big Bethel AME Church has always been filled with public speakers of note. On the morning of Thursday, Oct. 30, the church welcomed all but one of Atlanta’s living Black mayors to speak on the “Soul of Atlanta.”
Former Atlanta Mayor’s Ambassador Andrew Young, William “Bill” Campbell, Shirley Franklin, Kasim Reed, and current Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, along with Big Bethel AME Church Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine, spoke about how to further defend Atlanta’s legacy of “equality and inclusion.”
“This is only the kickoff; this is not the end,” Augustine said.
Days before the City of Atlanta and Fulton County will elect or re-elect a mayor and a city council president, the pews inside Big Bethel were full of people looking to hear what luminaries like Young had to say about Atlanta’s legacy.
“This is where it all began,” said Young, a preacher in many ways. “I think we have accidentally, with the guidance of God, and the officials you all have elected, we have become one of the best cities in the world.”
Young, the second Black mayor in the city’s history, shared stories about how Atlantans, both Black and white, got together to make the city better. Those stories included the first Black Mayor of Atlanta, the late Maynard Jackson, who broke business barriers by securing citywide contracts. Young also used the city securing the 1996 Summer Olympics bid in 1990 as an example of everyone working together for a common goal.
“I want to thank you for believing in God’s message that was put in your heart and mine,” Young said.
Atlanta City Councilwoman Marci Collier Overstreet and gubernatorial candidate Jason Esteves were also in attendance.
Dickens also spoke, as did Valerie Jackson, Mayor Jackson’s widow. Mrs. Jackson said she knows the late mayor would be proud of the direction the city has taken since the three-term mayor passed away.
“We will not allow the principle of fairness and justice to be blown back,” Mrs. Jackson said.
After telling a story about Mayor Jackson’s decision to steer more airport contracts to Black vendors, Mrs. Jackson said, “Maynard’s policies of inclusion became a model, not just for the state, but for the nation.”
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was not in attendance.