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Issue Date: Feb. 17, 2002
Wilder, top, was the nation's first elected African-American governor. Shirley Franklin is Atlanta's first female mayor. Both are Democrats.
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Politics
Former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder
and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
Interview: Jan. 8, 2002
Twelve years ago, L. Douglas Wilder was sworn in as the nation's first elected black governor, not far from the Virginia fields in which his grandparents once toiled as slaves. Although since then none of the 50 states has had a black governor, up-and-coming leaders such as Shirley Franklin, 56, continue to break ground in the political arena. The day before Franklin took office as Atlanta's first female mayor, she spoke with Wilder, 71, about where the new black leadership should focus its energies.
Wilder: When I ran for a seat in Virginia's state Senate in 1969, people kept saying it wasn't time for an African American in politics yet, and I got impatient. They kept asking, "But are people ready for this?" And I'd say, "I don't care whether they are ready or not. I am!" That is the real test of leadership. They don't wait for direction; they just do it!
Franklin: I attended an all-girl's high school and left believing that I could really do anything or be anything that I wanted to, although I didn't know at the time that it would be public service. My dream as a child was to be a dancer. I wasn't the class president or the student government president or anything like that. The first time I ever ran for a major office was to be mayor.
Wilder: What inspired you to try?
Franklin: I had a sense of obligation to offer myself into public service and demonstrate that women could be elected. All of my [female] predecessors were well-educated, articulate, experienced African Americans who had been elected to other offices before. I looked at why they didn't win the mayoral race and discovered that they all ran for very short periods of time, like four months. They couldn't break down psychological barriers or raise enough funds in that kind of time. People have to see you, shake your hand and get to know you. So I spent two years running my campaign, getting out there and meeting the people.
Wilder: People of all colors and backgrounds and faiths want the exact same thing: a strong, responsive government, quality institutes of education and fair treatment, with their streets free of crime and their air clean to breathe. When I first came into office, [white] people said, "Oh, no! He's going to put all of his people in and kick us all out!" But once you dispel that, they'll see how you conduct yourself and how your government thrives. Then, when election time comes around, they'll start saying, "We need another Shirley Franklin." But that's not good either. What needs to happen is that another person needs to be given a chance.
Franklin: I would say that the major concerns of African Americans is having a safer city, a more responsive police force and the opportunity for a first-class education. I very much want my legacy to be that Atlanta cares for its seniors and children and families, and that at the end of my tenure, people are better off in all aspects of their lives. But my first act is going to have to be balancing our budget.
Wilder: That's one thing African-American leadership has to show — that it can handle money and handle it well. Our reputation is that we are big spenders and we just blow it all away.
Franklin: The question that came up time and time again when I was running for office was, "What will you do to help our children get an education so that we are not locked out of the economic prosperity that is coming to Atlanta?"
Wilder: Education is a critical issue in the African-American community. We have kids being pushed through the school system just so they can play basketball or football in college, with nothing to fall back on if they don't make it. We have to make certain that we have the keys to unlock the barriers in our minds. You are not going to have a black president, in my judgment, until you have someone who has worked their way through the entry levels. Why do you think people are proposing Colin Powell? He has shown what he can do as security adviser to the president and as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It would require somebody who is going to let the American people know that they are not going to be one-sided. They are going to have to have the trust and confidence of others than just African Americans. ... I don't see it right now.
Franklin: You'd have to have a track record that the general public acknowledges, and you'd have to be — and you may not like this word — "worthy" of the position. There is no question in my mind that there are people who are capable and experienced and intelligent and caring enough, but you'd have to appeal to the broad base of the American public.
Wilder: And that's where voting comes in. People have to believe that if they involve themselves in the political process, things can be changed.
Franklin: Especially young people. We had quite an experience with college students this election — their voter turnout was just abysmal. It forced me to learn where my votes were and to spend the vast majority of my time there, while the future of the country — and of the city — is dependent on the young people.
Wilder: Just remember what people said to you, and then do it. If you can't do it, tell them why. Don't break your word. Commit yourself.
— Moderated by Stephanie Elizondo Griest, a freelance writer from South Texas.
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