Authors of black agenda analysis of mayor's race talk to WABE ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Today, the authors of the paper analyzing Atlanta's Mayor's race from the perspective of creating a black agenda gave their first interview.

They told WABE why they wrote it and major misconceptions people are making about the paper.

WABE's Charles Edwards reports

Keith Jennings and William Boone are political science professors at Clark Atlanta University. And Jennings wants to make one thing clear.

JENNINGS: "We are the sole authors of this document. The Black Leadership Forum and no one associated with it had anything to do with this writing nor did Aaron Turpeau have anything to do with this writing."

Turpeau, a member of the Forum, asked Jennings and Boone if blacks in Atlanta will be unified behind one Mayoral candidate. The Forum, itself was split after interviewing the race's top 5 candidates. Turpeau also asked the professors what the political agenda should be for blacks in Atlanta. And Boone argues there's nothing wrong with both of those questions.

BOONE: "So it seems to me to de-legitimize the legitimate interest of a group is in itself disingenuous or hypocritical at best."

Since last Thursday, Boone and Jennings have watched their paper somehow get leaked to the media. They've also observed how politicians and columnists either distance themselves or denounce their paper and its message. That's why Boone and Jennings are urging people give the document, in their words, a fair read.

JENNINGS: "And if you look at the paper itself, you will see we tried to set the context for what we're going to debate. We talk about what views have been expressed. We next address the unstated assumptions and quite frankly the shortcomings of those unstated assumptions."

The professors say the paper starts by laying out a few assumptions people have made about the Mayor's race. One: For the first time in 25 years, a white candidate, city council member Mary Norwood, could win. Two: with more than 5 candidates, there will be a runoff. 3: To avoid a runoff, black voters need to get behind a black candidate now in order to keep the Mayor's office black. And finally 4: that black candidate is Lisa Borders.
Again, William Boone.

BOONE: "The paper is attempting to say here: Look, these are the kind of things that people are saying and these are the kinds of things that we're just looking at. These are not the kinds of things (where) we're endorsing any particular candidate."

However, Boone and Jennings say one of the paper's key parts is not the assumptions but importance for Africa-Americans, like all voters, to have an agenda.

BOONE: "and that's what you need. Without that, you get administrations that believe that what they go into office with is the best for the city. And certainly that has not happened."

The professors say their paper merely documents the same things being talked about by the people voting for and the people running to be Atlanta's next mayor.

Charles Edwards, WABE News. © Copyright 2012, WABE