Former Atlanta Mayor ‘Unmutes’ Talk about Mental Health

NILES, Ohio – Nearly three years after announcing she would not seek a second term as mayor of Atlanta, Ga., Keisha Lance Bottoms finally recognizes herself again.

“By that I mean there is a fearlessness and a willingness to do things differently and to be different in a way that I’ve not felt comfortable in a long time,” she said.

It was the first time since World War II that a mayor of that city didn’t seek re-election, and Lance Bottoms said it wasn’t an easy decision. But she made it for her mental health.

The former Atlanta mayor was the keynote speaker Friday at Unmute the Uncomfortable – a Symposium on Racial Equity, Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention, presented by Coleman Health Services in partnership with the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board. The daylong event took place at the Eastwood Event Centre.

“I’ve done a lot of unpacking since I left office. Going through the pandemic and all we experienced in 2020 was a lot on all of us,” she said. “And on the front lines, it was quite a daunting season to say the least. For me, it was about doing a wellness check – what do I want for my life and where am I mentally and emotionally?”

Those are questions she asked herself when she was deciding whether to seek a second term. She’s proud she did it on her own terms and said it was the right decision for her.

“I’m happier,” Lance Bottoms said. “I’m in a much better place.”

She recalled something her therapist told her.

“Strong women push through and they have heart attacks and they have strokes and they have high blood pressure,” Lance Bottoms said. “Powerful women stop and feel. They assess, and then they learn the lessons and then they move on.”

She was a strong woman in 2020, but she’s a powerful woman now, she said.

Besides the pandemic during her mayoral term, the murder by a white Minneapolis police officer of George Floyd, an African American man, and protests that followed in the streets of her city all occurred during her tenure. At a news conference, Lance Bottoms told the protesters, who were damaging property, to go home. She told them what they were doing wasn’t a protest; it was chaos. Protests have a purpose, she said.

Lance Bottoms went on to serve as a senior adviser and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement in President Joe Biden’s administration from 2022 to 2023. 

“I love the name of this event, ‘Unmute the Uncomfortable,’ because so many people are afraid to talk about what’s going on in their head,” Lance Bottoms said. 

People speak freely about the importance of mammograms, prostate examinations and other screens and tests related to physical health, she said.

“But for some reason, we are still often uncomfortable talking about our mental and our emotional well-being,” she said. 

Her presentation at the event was a fireside chat with Judge Carla Baldwin of Youngstown Municipal Court, who served as event moderator. The James and Coralie Centofanti Charitable Foundation was the keynote sponsor.

Barbara Fant, an author and poet, led the audience in a series of writing and sharing exercises. She’s a Youngstown, Ohio, native and lives in Los Angeles. The public libraries of Youngstown and Mahoning County and Trumbull County sponsored her presentation. Fant is the author of two books of poetry, “Paint, Inside Out” and “Mouths of Garden.” 

She conducts workshops for incarcerated youths and adults and works with many young people who have been involved in gangs in East Los Angeles.

“I believe art is a source for healing, and I believe it works,” she said.

Other event speakers were LaToya Logan, CEO of Project LIFT; Kamesha Spates of the University of Pittsburgh; and Toni Bisconti of the University of Akron.

Other lead sponsors for the event included the Cafaro Foundation, Mercy Health Foundation and Mercy Health, KO Consulting, FirstEnergy, the Coleman Foundation and 717 Credit Union.

Lance Bottoms talked about the importance of working as a senior adviser to the president.

“To be in the White House and be sitting in the Oval Office and have the president say, ‘Keisha, what do you think?’ And I’m like, I bet in the history of America, there’s never been a Keisha sitting in this seat. I bet this question has never been asked,” she said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

She’s working as a consultant and just secured a book deal with Harper Collins Publishing. She’s also the executive producer of a television project with Terry Vaughn, an actress, director and producer who used to work on “The Steve Harvey Show.” The show was just picked up by actor, filmmaker and playwright Tyler Perry, and shooting starts in June.

Pictured at top: From left are Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Carla Baldwin; Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta; and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.