Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is setting the record straight following online outrage from conservatives and liberals over remarks by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
While promoting his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery,” Newsom sought to relate to an Atlanta audience by opening up about his struggle with dyslexia, telling the crowd, “I’m like you.” However, Republican voices attempted to paint the governor and potential 2028 candidate as racist. Meanwhile, even some liberal voices took issue with Newsom’s remarks.
Dickens, who moderated the more than hour-long discussion, took to social media to defend Newsom against some of the public lashing.
“Take it from someone who was actually in the chair asking the questions: context matters more than a headline,” wrote the Atlanta mayor. “The conversation around his new book included him speaking about his own academic struggles, including not doing well on the SAT. That wasn’t an attack on anyone. It was a moment of vulnerability about his own journey.”
Dickens shared clips of the remarks in question to provide a fuller context for the conversation and what Newsom was trying to convey.
“That, like so many folks, I put a mask on and my face was starting to grow into it…I was trying to be someone I was not. Wasn’t that I was inauthentic…I wasn’t who I am,” said Newsom. “Sweaty hands, nervous, just, you know, just trying to put on a facade.”
The 58-year-old politician, who said his book is a story of “resilience,” “redemption,” and “humility,” explained, “I’m not trying to be someone I’m not. I can’t do that anymore. I tried that for a long time. And I wasn’t happy.”
Opening up about how real those challenges are, Newsom shared, “I’m not trying to impress you. I’m just trying to impress upon you. I’m like you. I’m no better than you. You know, I’m a 960 SAT guy…you’ve never seen me read a speech because I cannot read a speech.”
Newsom said he was on “the other side” of the insecurities he felt as a young person, but made clear his dyslexia continues to be a challenge for him, even as one of the most prominent governors in the country. He shared, “I haven’t overcome dyslexia. I’m living with it.”
Newsom’s remarks about his SAT scores and difficulty reading as examples of being like many in the room and across the country went viral as a result of conservative voices amplifying isolated soundbites from the conversation. Mayor Dickens, however, wanted to make clear that no such offense was taken.
“We’ve gotten so used to loud, chest-pounding politics that when someone speaks about shortcomings, people try to twist it into something else. Let me be clear though. This is Atlanta. We don’t need anyone to tell us when to be offended. And history has shown… when we are, you’ll know,” he wrote.
“If you want the full context, watch the full clip, read the book, and engage the complete conversation.”
