‘I am standing on shoulders made of steel’: Keisha Lance Bottoms highlights Georgia’s fraught history in rousing victory speech

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been elected governor of Georgia, making her the first Black woman in U.S. history to hold the position. In her rousing victory speech on November 3 in Atlanta, Bottoms highlighted the state's tumultuous history and the significant strides the region has made. She paid tribute to her enslaved ancestors, Shephard and Betsy Peek, who lived in Crawfordsville during the mid-1800s.

Before the election, Bottoms visited the town her ancestors once called home, a poignant moment that led her to reflect on their dreams for future generations. She stated, "I don’t know what dreams Betsy Peak had for her children or for her grandchildren or the generations that she would never meet, but I know I am standing on shoulders made of steel."

Despite the somber history of the area, including being home to Alexander Stephens, the former governor of Georgia and vice president of the Confederacy, Bottoms emphasized the complexity of the state's past. She said, "Georgia is not defined by one moment in time." Her historic win is particularly significant as it comes over 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Confederacy.

Bottoms concluded her speech by acknowledging the irony of her victory, noting that while Crawfordsville produced the Confederacy's vice president, it had also produced her, the next governor. "Tonight should remind as that no matter what community we come from, Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person—it’s been defined by all of us."