Amaker invites a few basketball players, too, taking care to seat them near the featured guests. “The mayors’ stories were extremely moving but also very different,” observed basketball player Tommy O’Neil ’23, a government concentrator with a secondary in educational studies. “My biggest takeaway is that there’s no direct path to public service.”

At the Breakfast Club, meaty topics like race, politics, and social justice go perfectly with orange juice and eggs. Past speakers include U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and former President Barack Obama. This time Amaker invited the mayors for appearances timed to Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. Their remarks were strictly off-the-record, in keeping with the “house rules” Amaker set for the first club meeting 15 years ago. Both officeholders later agreed that the broad contours of their messages could be shared.

“Everyone in this room was blown away by our two mayors,” Amaker said as his guests exited the event (and at least one wiped away tears). “We’re lucky to have them as our leaders.”