Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Named One Of Glamour's 2020 'Women Of The Year'

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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms named one of Glamour Magazine's 2020 Women of the Year alongside Regina King, Sherilynn Ifill and others. / Atlanta Voice

Credit: Ari Skin/Glamour

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been named one of Glamour Magazine’s 2020 “Women of the Year,” among a slate of honorees that includes Oscar-winning actress Regina King, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill, Civil Rights leader Dolores Huerta, as well as four essential workers from New York’s Elmhurst Hospital, an epicenter of America’s fight against the coronavirus.

The publication also honored the memory of Breonna Taylor with a poem by poet and author Camonghne Felix.

In a profile penned by Atlanta native and novelist Tayari Jones, the mayor discusses what has emerged as a rollercoaster year, including dealing with a pandemic, guiding a city divided from police violence, healing her family from a COVID-19 diagnosis and overcoming a fight with Georgia’s governor over a mask mandate for the City of Atlanta.

“I’d rather go down fighting than stand as a loser,” Bottoms said in the profile.

The profile goes on to describe Bottoms’s growing national profile as a potential contender for Biden’s vice-presidential pick and as a rising star of the Democratic party. Bottoms also opens up about her father’s struggle with addiction and incarceration.

“My dad always believed in the best in me,” Bottoms said. “He was the one who always made me think that everything was possible. And he would say, ‘Did you try, did you ask? All they can do is tell you no.’ And he always pushed me in such a loving, comfortable way. … My father wasn’t a perfect man, but he loved me in this perfect way.”

In a tweet on Tuesday, Bottoms thanked the magazine and Jones for the profile: “Thank you to  @glamourmag and  @Tayari for capturing the beauty of our beloved city. It truly is an honor to be named #GlamourWOTY alongside the Guardians of Elmhurst, Sherrilyn Ifill,  @iamreginaking and @DoloresHuerta.”

“For three decades, Glamour has recognized the most influential and accomplished women on the planet. Our Women of the Year awards celebrate trailblazers and power brokers and Nobel Peace Prize winners,” Glamour Editor-In-Chief Samantha Barry said in a statement. “The 2020 class of honorees is no exception: frontline hospital workers, a civil rights lawyer, a headstrong politician, a labor rights icon, and a superstar actress bringing untold stories to the screen.”

Whereas Glamour typically hosts a summit and awards night for Women of the Year, this year’s event will be held virtually. A special, featuring pre-filmed segments, will air on YouTube and Twitter on Oct. 19. The event will include appearances from Ryan Reynolds, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, John Legend, Gabrielle Union, Nancy Pelosi, Cory Booker, Maxine Waters, Charlize Theron, and more.