FORA.tv Speaker - Shirley Clarke Franklin

Shirley Clarke Franklin is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and, since January 7, 2002, the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. The 58th mayor of Atlanta, she was the first female to hold the post and became the first black woman to be elected mayor of any major Southern city. Franklin is the fourth black mayor of Atlanta, the latest in a line of African American mayors that stretches back to 1974. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Franklin received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Howard University, and earned her master of arts degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an Honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.