Monisha Brown: One of the things I wanted to talk to you about and I thought you’d be good at addressing, is the conversation around Kamala’s race and gender. Specifically, if you’re a Black woman, how would you lean into the conversation if someone said, “Just because she’s Black or she’s a woman, she’s not going to get my vote?” How would you navigate that conversation?
Commissioner-elect Mo Ivory: I mean, I would ask them to look at my record and the work that I’ve done. I think it doesn’t matter if somebody is White, Black, male or female. You have to look at what they’ve done in their life and, not just as an elected official, but as a contributing member of society. I think, when you look back at their character, you need to look at their history from the beginning of their career and sort of what they’ve done. I’m not ever looking at a candidate for their gender or race. I’m looking at what they’ve contributed and what I think that skill set will contribute to my life and how it can help my community.
I don’t think there’s anybody more qualified than Kamala Harris, who’s worked in every branch of government—both as an executive, as a VP, as a legislator, as a senator, and in the judiciary as a prosecutor. There’s not really anybody who’s ever become president that has done that and is so qualified. Then, obviously, just by what we see in the emphasis of the Black female vote and the way Black women mobilize and organize, carrying so many things—whether it’s in the city of Atlanta, Fulton County, your home, or your child’s school, wherever women are, they are the backbone of families in many families across our country and state. I think that when you put all those things together, she is absolutely the right candidate for this right time.
In your race, the incumbent had ethics violations and challenges. How do you tell voters to consider the ethics of the person and how they perform in office when considering for whom to vote?
I’m not asking any of the voters to make an assessment about somebody’s ethics. I’m asking them to make an assessment about their record. If they’ve made some choices, that’s in their record—the way they behaved while they were an elected official. Then, that’s for you to decide.
I don’t think it’s proper to say that people don’t make mistakes, that people don’t err in judgment or run into complications. That is the very reason why voting is your right alone and you have the right to decide how you want to cast it. I think people should look at all things when they’re getting ready to vote. What I did was present my record. I presented the record of my opponent. The people voted and decided that they wanted me instead. I don’t think it has anything to do with two Black women battling each other, or a Republican against a Democrat. Everybody has to look at the record and then decide what they want to do. I think that’s what people decided to do.
Love it. Now, what does it mean for Kamala to have gotten this far? She’s carrying the ticket and she could very well make history. What does that mean for you as a Black woman?
I mean, it’s the honor of my life to be on the ballot with who I believe is going to be the first female president and first Black female president of the United States of America. I’m the mother of a daughter and the grandmother of two girls. So, it means everything to me. It meant the same thing that it meant to me to be the stepmother of five sons when Barack Obama became president.
I mean, it’s the most—I’m getting all of the chills I got in 2009 all over again. I’m feeling something in the air and I feel like this is going to be a historic moment for our country at a time when we need hope and joy so badly. We need leadership—real leadership—that is for everybody. I hope to be a leader for everybody in Fulton County and I know that she will be a leader for everyone in America. So, I’m very excited.
Awesome. There are some who still have not made it to the polls. What would you say to those who have not voted?
I would say, “Go vote.” I would say the most important part of your responsibility as an American citizen is to participate in the process that gives us our next leaders. You don’t have to love our leaders. You don’t have to look at them as superheroes or anything. You have to look at them as public servants who are either aligned or not aligned with your interests; and, then, you choose the one that is most aligned. They won’t be aligned with every single one of your interests but they’ll be aligned with enough of them that it matters to go out there and cast your vote for them.
Well, attorney, professor and Commissioner-elect Mo Ivory, thank you so much for your time today. I’m looking forward to following you along your journey. Fulton County will be all the better because you ran.
To learn more about Commissioner-elect Mo Ivory, please visit: https://moivory.com/.
