Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to join CNN as political commentator
ATLANTA - Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms' new job is based Downtown, but it's not at city hall.
Bottoms said in a tweet on Monday morning she is joining CNN as a political commentator.
Bottoms said the job fulfills a dream she had as a graduate of Florida A&M University.
"As a @FAMU_1887 student, I applied for the coveted VJ program at @CNN and didn’t get in," she wrote. "To now join the team nearly 30 yrs later is a reminder that a dream deferred is never a dream denied."
Bottoms decided not to seek a second term as mayor. The announcement came in an open letter in May 2021.
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She declined an offer to join the cabinet of President Joe Biden.
Mayor Andre Dickens won the race and assumed office in January 2022.
When was Keisha Lance Bottoms elected as Atlanta Mayor?
Bottoms won the 2017 Mayoral Election in Atlanta in a runoff against candidate Mary Norwood.
Bottoms assumed office as the 60th mayor in the city's history in 2018 during her inauguration at Morehouse College.
She officially left office after Dickens was officially sworn in on Jan. 3.
Keisha Lance Bottoms during George Floyd protests
Bottoms received national attention when she pleaded with protestors to go home and cease vandalism Downtown during the fallout of George Floyd's death in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In the statement, Bottoms condemned the actions of protestors and looters who smashed windows, destroyed businesses, and threw bottles, rocks, and knives at law enforcement, saying that what she saw "was not a protest" and "not Atlanta."
"We as a people are strongest when we use our voices to heal our city instead of using our hands to tear it down," Bottoms said. "We know our citizens are angry. We are angry and we want justice. If we are to enact change in this nation, I implore everyone to channel their anger and sorrow into something more meaningful and effective through non-violent activism."
Protesters set a vehicle on fire during a protest following the death of George Floyd outside the CNN Center and shattered a glass wall.