Ep 31: Montgomery Mayor with Steven Reed
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The First Black Mayor of Montgomery, AL with Steven Reed
Episode 31: Show Notes.
Today’s guest is Steven Reed, a childhood friend of Light’s and someone who, back in 2019, became the 57th mayor of their hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. What's significant about that is that Mayor Reed was the first Black mayor in a town that was, for a brief period of time, the official capital of the confederacy.
It was also the place where Dr. King launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the 1950s, the place where Rosa Parks was arrested 65 years ago for her participation, and the home of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where Dr. King began his career as a minister and an activist. Montgomery has a very rich history and, for that reason, Mayor Reed's election made international headlines.
In today's episode, listeners hear about Steven’s unlikely journey of leaving Montgomery for business pursuits, trying to do the traditional thing by becoming a financial analyst, his failures as an entrepreneur, and why he decided to become the change he wanted to see by running for office – first as a probate judge, even though he did not have a law degree, and then later as a mayor.
Find out why most people think they cannot run for public office and how, believe it or not, you are more qualified than you think. This fascinating conversation might inspire you to get more involved in local politics and become the change you want to see in your area of the world, so make sure to tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Steven reflects on his favorite toy as child, and why he enjoyed it.
The history of the Reed family in Montgomery, Alabama, and their political ties to the city.
How much of this history of activism was casually shared with Steven as he was growing up.
Steven’s love for football and his dream of becoming a player or coach when he got older.
What it was like growing up in the cradle fo the confederacy in such a politically aware family.
His decision to follow in his brother’s footsteps and attend Morehouse College in Atlanta.
One of the tenets Steven learned at Morehouse: Not only push yourself to be your best, but push the community and culture beyond that.
How he defined success at that point in his life – to bring his mindset to corporate America.
Choosing business over political science thanks to his generation of opportunities.
A work ethic philosophy he inherited from his dad – “Ain't nobody going to build you a temple and make you high priest.”
Steven shares his main takeaways from his three years as a financial analyst.
Realizing he wasn’t as numbers-driven as others and leaving for management consulting.
How Steven came to learn real-world entrepreneurial experience in a non-traditional way.
Steven talks candidly about some of his entrepreneurial failures and discouragements.
What Steven’s dad taught him about removing ego and pride from business ventures.
Learn about Steven’s first foray into lobbying and the reasons he chose to get into it.
The 2008 speech Barack Obama gave that changed the way Steven viewed public service.
Who Steven has around to support and guide him in his decisions and his role in that group.
The combination of inspiration and frustration that led him to take the risk of running for probate judge in Montgomery.
Steven explains how people mistake mediocrity for excellence when it comes to politicians.
Why Steven believes he was elected as probate judge – given that the tides were turning.
Find out more about the controversial decision Steven made to issue same-sex marriage licenses as probate judge in 2015.
The process of running for mayor and deciding he could be more impactful in that role.
Longevity versus production, seniority versus impact, and what Steven brought to the role.
What it felt like to be elected as the first Black mayor on the 200th anniversary of the city.
How leading through the challenges of the past year have helped him appreciate the stories of struggle and triumph from his community.
Steven’s position on “defund the police” – he’d rather reimagine what policing looks like.
How Steven defines success now: It’s about impact on the lives of others, not money.
Tweetables:
“I think, if there was anything that was shared with us, it was the thought that you had to be twice as good to be equal. If there's one theme that I can take away from all the discussions, you were always going to be twice as good to be equal in this world, being Black, and you just need to know that..” — @stevenlouisreed [0:20:03]
“I said, ‘We’ve got a lot of Black elected officials. We got a lot of Black mayors. The cities are doing good. Black folks aren't doing it as well as we'd like. I think we’ve got to make money. We don't have enough Black millionaires. We don't have enough Black people who can create and sustain our own economies in a way that allows us to do things directly that we need to do.’” — @stevenlouisreed [0:38:53]
“That discouragement is there. It is real and it is one of second-guessing yourself and saying, ‘Man. I should have never done this. I should have stayed traditional. I should have taken this job offer that I had at this corporate headquarters and been in that MBA leadership program and look at what money I’d be making. Look at the stock options I would have.’” — @stevenlouisreed [0:53:35]
“There just was not enough conversation around building wealth. There was not enough conversation around building and supporting businesses and Black entrepreneurship at all in our community. I was just amazed that, in the 2000s, people were still talking like they were when we were growing up in the 80s, 90s.” — @stevenlouisreed [0:59:50]
“There's nothing like running for public office in this world. You want to find out how humanity really is? Run for public office and you see it all.” — @stevenlouisreed [01:12:46]
“I wanted to use the attention that I got to try to change the narrative of what this Alabama was, versus what it was before and how we were going to do things. It [gave] me the opportunity to speak to Montgomery being different and the leadership being different and, although we still have these relics of the past across the country, that we are going to do things different in the south.” — @stevenlouisreed [01:27:17]
“Leading through these challenges we've had over the last year has really made me appreciate a lot of the stories, a lot of the anecdotal lessons you get in being in the community like Montgomery. The richness, the history. It prepares you for circumstances that you don't know that you might face so that, when you do, you have a sense of how to react.” — @stevenlouisreed [01:38:14]
“I think it's important that we find our passion, we find our niche and we do all we can to try to help people beyond ourselves. We all have a different calling and a way to do that in unique ways.” — @stevenlouisreed [01:47:39]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: