Clarkston mayor talks triumphs/challenges at Women’s Equality Day panel – The Champion Newspaper | 404-373-7779

As the first Black female mayor of Clarkston elected while battling breast cancer and the devastation of COVID-19 in her community, Mayor Beverly Burks has had her share of challenges; but, she said she is blessed to be a leader in the city that she loves to call home.

Burks described her journey to becoming a barrier-breaking mayor and why her role is important during an Aug. 26 panel discussion in celebration of Women’s Equality Day. The virtual event, hosted by Hannah Joy, also included College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom and East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham. The three elected officials talked about why seeing women, and specifically Black women, in leadership roles is impactful to their communities.

Burks was elected as Clarkston’s mayor in 2020 and she said that it is an honor to serve her city.

“I take every opportunity to not only show leadership skills but to pull people up along with me because I think that’s one of the most important things I can do as a leader,” she said. “It’s OK to be the first to do something, but once you’re first you have to show the value of who you are, and you have to take those initial steps of showing your worth. For example, in our community, more than 75 percent of our businesses are foreign-born from refugees and immigrants; I want to make sure that they see that with female leadership, we can grow and thrive. I want that message of empowerment to be what I continue to do.”

Making sure that Clarkston not only survives but thrives through the pandemic is a goal that Burks said she and city council members continue to work on together.

“Working for the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, health is very important to me. Our hospital beds are filling up, there’s job loss and housing insecurity which is a part of this health crisis. I think it is important for me to emphasize two points: 1. I want to encourage our residents to get vaccinated and 2. It is critical that you engage with officials to determine how funds are being spent to invest in your community. It’s important to make sure you are part of that conversation. There isn’t one person who has all the answers, we need input from everyone.”

So far, Burks said the city council allocated about $3 million in funds toward food, rental, business and mortgage assistance in the city. Clarkston is home to about 13,000 residents.

Although she knows more challenges will arise, Burks explained that she is committed to staying active in her community and showing that diversity is what makes Clarkston strong and resilient.

“[When] someone asked me to run for city council, I said no. Then they said, ‘If you don’t, there won’t be any women even running.’ They knew my weak spot, which is that I always want to make sure in terms of leadership that we have diversity,” Burks said. “That’s what got me involved in city council and eventually inspired me to run for mayor. I recognize that policy makes the difference, so being at the table helping to make decisions was important to me.”