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The 58th mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin was the first woman to hold the post and the first African American woman to be elected mayor of a major Southern city. Mayor Franklin served the city for two terms, from 2002–2010. While in office, she focused on repairing the Atlanta sewer system and making the city more “green.” In 2005, TIME Magazine named Franklin one of the five best big-city American mayors. In October of that same year, she was included in the U.S. News & World Report “Best Leaders of 2005” issue. Mayor Franklin was the recipient of Profile in Courage Award in 2005, issued by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The foundation praised her management of the city of Atlanta during the critical period of enormous deficit and loss of public confidence in government. In 2007, she received an honorary degree in Doctor of Humane Letters from Oglethorpe University. Originally from Philadelphia, she is a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Girls. Franklin received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Howard University and her master’s degree, also in sociology, from the University of Pennsylvania.
ATL Women’s History Month: Shirley Franklin was originally published on majicatl.com
