‘It’s UATL’ podcast: Is Georgia ready for Keisha Lance Bottoms?
It’ll be here sooner than you think.
Election Day is nigh. The race for Georgia’s next governor is in full swing. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms could become the first Black woman to hold said office in American history. However, Bottoms and her campaign aren’t leading with that possibility.
So, what do Black folks in Georgia think? Is Bottoms ready to lead a state? First, we asked Black voters.
Next up, we shared those responses with AJC Washington Bureau Chief and “Politically Georgia” co-host, Tia Mitchell, who broke down what’s at stake.
Also on this week’s episode
“This is not an ending.” That’s what organizers behind One Musicfest said in a statement announcing their 2026 hiatus. The hosts discuss implications of Atlanta losing one of its biggest Black-run live music events for a year.
Speaking of Black-led festivals, Invest Fest has come and gone, but will it be back after all the barbs that were traded between organizers and city leadership? The hosts share their thoughts.
Around the corner from City Hall, at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American History and Culture, is a new photography exhibition focused on activist and Black Panther Kathleen Neal Cleaver. Why is it important to tell more stories about influential women behind the Civil Rights Movement? Our hosts discuss.
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” just might be the film of summer. The flick has generated countless memes, dollars and conversations. Why? The hosts talk about their (and Georgia’s) obsession with Nolan’s update on Homer’s epic.
Related reads from UATL and AJC
Follow the stories that inspired this week’s episode.
- Keisha Lance Bottoms is chasing history without campaigning on it
- Atlanta’s One Musicfest will not return in 2026
- Kathleen Neal Cleaver exhibit reveals the woman beyond the Black Panthers
- Invest Fest coming to Atlanta for sixth year in a row, but that soon may change
- ‘Odyssey’ causes all-nighters at Georgia theater, bookstore sales increase
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Email us at uatl@ajc.com.
Roll credits
“It’s UATL” comes from DeAsia Paige, Nedra Rhone, Najja Parker, Isabelle Kerby-McGowan, Cara Shillenn, Gavin Godfrey, Mara Davis, Shane Backler, Ron Williams, Matt Gannon, Kishuna Joseph, Keith Lovely Jr., Megan Nadolski, Samantha Stamler, Janel Davis, Christopher Frazier, Kevin Pernell, Shimei Ricks-Cook, Antonio Mattox Jr., Tierra Stone and Yacine Ba.