Inauguration Day is here for Andre Dickens, who was officially sworn in Monday as Atlanta’s 61st mayor.

The ceremony was held at Dickens’ alma mater, Georgia Tech.

Dickens grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Mays High School. He went on to earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s of public administration degree in Economic Development from Georgia State University.

Around 2:15 p.m., an emotional Dickens put his hand on a Bible held by his mother and took the oath of office.

He began by speaking about the accomplishments of his predecessors.

“I believe, as they believed, that, together, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish – starting with redeeming the soul of Atlanta,” Dickens said. “Our true opponents are not some political competitor or some neighbor we disagree with. No! Our opponents are poverty, fear, inequality, violence, hopelessness and homelessness. Each mayor had their burden--mine is to bring us together in a safe, clean, thriving city and to restore our sense of community.”

Dickens defeated City Council President Felicia Moore in the runoff election. The 47-year-old Dickens, an Atlanta native and engineer by training, joined the council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. Dickens served on boards for Atlanta BeltLine, Invest Atlanta, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Dickens said he hopes to make the city safer by reducing crime and improving safety technology. He also hopes to invest in green spaces, infrastructure and improve city operations.

“Together, we will write a new chapter for Atlanta, for this beautiful city in a forest. This city that W.E.B Dubois 125 years ago called the breathless city of a hundred hills. This city that Mayor Ivan Allen 55 years ago said was Too Busy to Hate. This city that Influences Everything,” Dickens said. “I stand here today as living proof that a little kid from Adamsville could dare to dream to be mayor and grow up to fulfill that dream by becoming the 61st mayor of Atlanta.”

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