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  • I want to bring in somebody who is incredible.

  • She is the mayor of Atlanta.

  • And she went viral for a speech that she gave when

  • the protests first started.

  • Take a look at this.

  • [VIDEO PLAYBACK]

  • You're not honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr,

  • and the civil rights movement.

  • You're not protesting anything running out

  • with brown liquor in your hands, breaking windows in this city.

  • TI and Killer Mike own half the Westside.

  • So when you burn down this city, you're

  • burning down our community."

  • If you want change in America, go and register to vote.

  • Show up at the polls on June 9.

  • Do it in November.

  • That is the change we need in this country.

  • [END PLAYBACK]

  • [APPLAUDING]

  • Please welcome Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

  • Thank you.

  • Hi.

  • Thank you.

  • I know how busy you must be.

  • So thank you so much for taking the time to speak to me.

  • It has been a crazy few months and an insane week.

  • You must be exhausted.

  • And you're handling this so beautifully.

  • But how are you?

  • Well, thank you for having this platform, Ellen.

  • It just means so much to hear you speak and acknowledge

  • the pain that so many people across this country

  • are feeling right now.

  • And I'm still standing, like the rest of us are.

  • And I think we're all processing our emotions right now.

  • And on the other side of this, I think there'll be a lot of--

  • even more released than what we're seeing in our streets

  • right now.

  • But we're just taking it one day at a time

  • in Atlanta, the same way so many people across this country

  • are doing.

  • Well, I think that your speech was--

  • I don't know if you feel like it had an impact, if you've seen

  • any results of what you said.

  • But it got a lot of attention.

  • First of all, were you surprised?

  • Did you expect to get that kind of attention?

  • Well, I knew it must have been impactful

  • because my 18-year-old son was with me.

  • And he told me he felt something,

  • which is pretty extraordinary for my son

  • to have a response to anything that I say.

  • But honestly, I didn't remember what I'd said.

  • I had to come home and watch it again at night

  • because it was just so much emotion.

  • I hadn't planned on saying any of that.

  • So to answer your question, did I

  • think it would get that much attention,

  • I didn't give it any thought at all.

  • But I'm grateful that I was able to put into words

  • and express what so many people were feeling

  • and maybe even needed to hear.

  • Yeah.

  • It was-- and you could feel the passion.

  • One of the things you said that really resonated with people

  • was talking about not only being a mayor of Atlanta,

  • but you have four children who are--

  • it is-- it's one thing to be witnessing all of this.

  • But then to have children, and I'm

  • sure this is not the first time that you're thinking,

  • I've had to fear for my children that are out in the world--

  • but that must also be part of the passion in what you're

  • saying.

  • It is.

  • Everything that I do I look at through the lens as a mother.

  • My work as mayor is wrapped--

  • it just fits in somewhere in between my

  • being a mother to four kids.

  • And our kids have been dealing with so much

  • over the past few months, all of the anxiety

  • and the disruption related to COVID-19

  • and then layering this on top of it.

  • Everything is so uncertain with them.

  • And I see the range of emotion, from my 18-year-old to my two

  • youngest, who are nine.

  • It ranges from fear to anxiety to anger.

  • And you can have all of those emotions

  • from them all at one time.

  • Yeah.

  • That's a lot for you to handle, being

  • a mother and a mayor and a great leader

  • right now, which is something I want to talk to you about.

  • We have to take a break.

  • But I want to talk to you about where

  • is that leader that we all need right now to organize

  • this and have a plan.

  • We'll be right back.

I want to bring in somebody who is incredible.

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