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The first African-American mayors were elected duringReconstruction in the Southern United States beginning about 1867. African Americans in the South were also elected to many local offices, such assheriff andJustice of the Peace , and state offices such as legislatures as well as a smaller number of federal offices. After this period ended in 1876, it became increasingly difficult for African Americans to compete in elections due toracial discrimination , such asJim Crow laws . After the end of the 19th century, it generally was not until the 1960s, following thecivil rights movement and passage of theCivil Rights Act of 1964 andVoting Rights Act of 1965 , that they again began to be elected or appointed to mayoral positions. Achievements in African Americans' being elected mayor in majority-European American and other municipalities made their political participation one of daily life in many localities.
In 1970, there were fewer than 50 African American mayors; by 1982, there were 205.[ 1] [ 2] Lelia Foley was the first African American woman elected mayor in the United States.[ 3] [ 4] [ 5]
Lawnside, New Jersey became a self-governing community in 1926 and has elected African-American mayors since its inception.First African-American mayor ofTallahassee, Florida and first African-American mayor of a state capital:James R. Ford First African-American mayor ofCincinnati, Ohio :Ted Berry First African-American mayor ofUniontown, Alabama : Andrew Hayden First African-American mayor ofPrichard, Alabama :Algernon J. Cooper First African American to be appointed mayor ofLeavenworth, Kansas : Benjamin Day[ 40] First African-American elected Female Mayor of (Urbancrest, Ohio) Ellen Walker Craig-Jones, in the United States (January 1, 1972) The Columbus, Ohio Board of Election, validates the dates of election. First African-American mayor ofLakeland, Florida :John S. Jackson [ 41] First African American to be elected mayor ofDetroit, Michigan :Coleman Young First African American to be elected mayor ofRaleigh, North Carolina :Clarence Lightner First African American to be elected mayor of a city in Georgia,Greenville : Richmond D. Hill[ 42] [ 43] [ 44] First African American to be elected mayor of a major Southern city:Maynard Jackson ,Atlanta, Georgia [ 45] First African American to be elected mayor of a major Western city:Tom Bradley , Los Angeles, California First African-American female mayor:Lelia Foley ,Taft, Oklahoma [ 3] First African-American female mayor of a majorsatellite city andfirst African American woman mayor in California :Doris A. Davis ,Compton, California [ 46] First African American to be elected mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan:Lyman Parks (see also: 1971) First African American to be elected mayor ofWaco, Texas : Oscar Du Conge[ 47] First African American to be appointed mayor ofPontiac, Michigan :Wallace E. Holland First African American to be elected mayor ofBoulder, Colorado :Penfield Tate First African-American woman to be elected mayor ofFairplay, Colorado : Ada B. Evans[ 48] First African American to be elected mayor ofBerkeley Township, New Jersey : Edward Tolbert[ 32] First African American to be elected mayor ofMatawan, New Jersey and first African-American mayor inMonmouth County :Philip N. Gumbs First African American to be elected mayor ofPaulsboro, New Jersey : Elwood Hampton[ 49] First African American to be elected mayor ofRandolph, New Jersey : Tyrone Barnes First African-American mayor ofBridgewater, New York and first African-American mayor in New York State: Everett Holmes[ 50] [ 51] First African-American mayor ofCharlottesville, Virginia :Charles H. Barbour [ 52] First African American to be elected mayor ofDolton, Illinois :William Shaw First African American to be elected mayor ofJackson, Mississippi :Harvey Johnson, Jr. First African American to be elected mayor ofHouston, Texas :Lee P. Brown First African American to be elected mayor ofDes Moines, Iowa :Preston Daniels [ 91] First African American to be elected mayor ofPaterson, New Jersey :Martin G. Barnes First African American to succeed to the office of mayor ofColorado Springs, Colorado , after the resignation of his predecessor:Leon Young [ 92] First African-born black mayor in the United States, elected as mayor ofEast Cleveland, Ohio :Emmanuel Onunwor [ 93] First African-American mayor ofDistrict Heights, Maryland : Jack Sims Jr.[ 94] First African-American mayor ofPineville , Louisiana: Clarence R. Fields (became interim mayor in 1999; was elected to a partial term in 2000 and re-elected to full terms in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014) First African-American mayor ofElyria , Ohio: Thomas O. Shores First African-American mayor ofForest Park, Ohio :Stephanie Summerow Dumas First African American to be elected mayor ofHattiesburg, Mississippi :Johnny DuPree [ 98] First African-American female mayor of a major Southern city, and first woman to be elected mayor ofAtlanta, Georgia :Shirley Franklin [ 99] First African American and first woman to be elected mayor ofSouthfield, Michigan :Brenda L. Lawrence First African American elected mayor ofFayetteville, North Carolina :Marshall Pitts Jr. [ 100] First African-American femaleRepublican to be elected mayor ofTchula, Mississippi :Yvonne Brown [ 101] First African-AmericanMayor of Jersey City, New Jersey :Glenn Cunningham [ 102] First African-American female to be appointed mayor ofGainesville, Georgia : Myrtle Figueras[ 103] First African-American mayor ofPittsburg, California : Yvonne Beals[ 104] First African-American woman mayor ofRichmond, California [ 105] First African-American mayor ofQuitman, Georgia : James C. Brown III[ 128] First African-American mayor ofAdairsville, Georgia : Kenneth J. Carson First African-American female mayor ofNew Haven, Connecticut , and first woman:Toni Harp [ 129] First African-American mayor ofBrunswick, Georgia :Cornell Harvey First African-American female mayor ofSan Antonio , Texas:Ivy Taylor [ 130] First African-American woman to be elected mayor ofShreveport, Louisiana : Ollie Tyler First African-American femaleMayor of Teaneck, New Jersey , as well as the first African-American female mayor of any municipality inBergen County, New Jersey :Lizette Parker [ 131] First African-American female mayor ofRochester, New York :Lovely Warren , also second African-American mayor of Rochester.First African-American mayor ofLinden, New Jersey : Derek Armstead[ 132] First African American to be elected mayor inSan Diego County andLemon Grove, California : Racquel Vasquez[ 137] First African-American and first African-American female mayor ofMidland City, Alabama : Jo Ann Bennett Grimsley[ 138] First African American to be elected mayor ofNorfolk, Virginia :Kenneth Alexander [ 139] First African American to be elected mayor ofStockton, California :Michael Tubbs [ 140] First African American and first African-American woman to be elected as mayor ofGrove Hill, Alabama : Cynthia McGill Jackson First African American to be elected as mayor ofFlagstaff, Arizona :Coral Evans [ 141] First African-American mayor ofAbilene, Texas :Anthony Williams [ 142] First African-American mayor ofSanta Cruz, California :Martine Watkins , also first biracial mayor First African-American woman to serve as mayor-president ofBaton Rouge ,Louisiana :Sharon Weston Broome [citation needed First African American elected mayor ofStamps, Arkansas : Brenda Davis[ 143] First African-American woman to be elected mayor ofCharlotte, North Carolina :Vi Lyles First African American to be elected mayor ofSt. Paul, Minnesota :Melvin Carter First African American to be elected mayor ofWaukegan, Illinois :Sam Cunningham [ 144] First African American to be elected mayor ofAurora, Illinois :Richard Irvin [ 145] First African American to be elected mayor ofBroadview, Illinois :Katrina Thompson [ 146] First African-American woman to succeed to the office of mayor ofPaterson, New Jersey : Ruby Cotton First African-American and first female mayor ofMound City, Illinois : Allison Madison[ 147] First African-American woman to be appointed as mayor ofPaterson, New Jersey :Jane Williams-Warren [ 148] First African-American woman to be elected as mayor ofKankakee, Illinois :Chastity Wells-Armstrong [ 149] First African-American mayor ofGardena, California : Tasha Cerda, also the first native American mayor in the state of California First African-American mayor ofPelahatchie, Mississippi and first African-American mayor inRankin County, Mississippi : Ryshonda Harper Beechem[ 150] First African American to be elected mayor ofLittle Rock, Arkansas :Frank Scott Jr. First African-American mayor ofBrookneal, Virginia : James Nowlin First African-American mayor ofOrange County, Florida :Jerry Demings First African-American mayor ofHelena, Montana :Wilmot Collins [ 151] First African American to be appointed mayor ofDanville, Illinois :Rickey Williams Jr. [ 152] First African-American mayor ofBridgeport, Pennsylvania : Mark Barbee[ 153] First African-American mayor ofLathrup Village, Michigan : Mykale (Kelly) Garrett[ 154] First African-American mayor ofHercules, California : Dion Bailey[ 104] First African-American woman mayor ofCharlottesville, Virginia :Nikuyah Walker [ 155] First African-American womanmayor of New Orleans :LaToya Cantrell [ 156] First African-American woman mayor ofSan Francisco :London Breed [ 157] First African-American woman to be a popularly elected mayor in Massachusetts when inaugurated as mayor ofFramingham, Massachusetts :Yvonne M. Spicer [citation needed First African American to be electedMayor of Manor, Texas : Larry Wallace Jr.[ 158] First African-American woman and first openly gay person to be electedMayor of Chicago :Lori Lightfoot First African-American mayor ofLewisburg, West Virginia : Beverly White First African American to be elected mayor ofElyria, Ohio : Frank Whitfield[ 159] First African American to be electedMayor ofMontgomery, Alabama :Steven Reed First African American to be elected mayor ofTalladega, Alabama : Timothy Ragland First African American to be elected mayor ofIrmo, South Carolina : Barry Walker First African American to be elected mayor ofEastpointe, Michigan :Monique Owens [ 160] First African American to be elected mayor ofNew Castle, Pennsylvania : Chris Frye First African American to be elected mayor ofWyoming, Ohio : Thaddeus Hoffmeister First African-American mayor of, and first mayor elected by popular vote in,Camden, Arkansas : Julian Lott (also president of Arkansas Black Mayors Association 2020–present) First African American to be elected mayor ofDanville, Illinois :Rickey Williams Jr. [ 152] First African American to be elected mayor ofFort Smith, Arkansas :George McGill [ 161] First African American appointed mayor ofCentralia, Illinois : Herb Williams[ 162] First African American to be elected mayor ofFerguson, Missouri :Ella Jones First African American to be elected mayor ofLake View, Alabama : Adrain Dudley First African American to be elected mayor ofNatchitoches, Louisiana : Ronnie Williams, Jr. First African American to be elected mayor ofTempe, Arizona :Corey Woods [ 163] First African American to be elected mayor ofWilliamsport, Pennsylvania :Derek Slaughter [ 164] First African American to be elected mayor ofLos Altos, California : Neysa Fligor[ 165] First elected African-American female mayor ofCarson, California : Lula Davis-Holmes First African American to be elected mayor ofDenton, Texas : Gerard Hudspeth First African American to be elected Mayor ofMuskogee, Oklahoma :Marlon Coleman First elected African-American female mayor ofMount Vernon, New York :Shawyn Patterson-Howard [ 166] [ 167] First African American to be elected mayor ofAlton, Illinois :David Goins [ 168] First African American elected mayor ofBloomington, Illinois :Mboka Mwilambwe [ 169] First African American to be elected mayor ofCalumet City, Illinois :Thaddeus Jones [ 170] First African American and first woman to serve as actingmayor of Boston :Kim Janey (upon the resignation ofMarty Walsh to take the position ofUnited States Secretary of Labor in theCabinet of Joe Biden ).[ 171] First African American to be electedmayor of Kansas City, Kansas :Tyrone Garner First African American to be elected mayor ofLibertyville, Illinois :Donna Johnson [ 172] First African American to be elected mayor ofLynwood, Illinois : Jada Curry[ 173] First African American to be elected mayor ofMaplewood, Missouri : Nikylan Knapper[ 174] First African American to be elected mayor ofPittsburgh , Pennsylvania:Edward C. Gainey First African American to be elected mayor ofLittle Elm, Texas :Curtis Cornelious [ 175] First African-American woman to be electedmayor of St. Louis :Tishaura Jones [ 176] First African-American woman to be elected mayor ofPeekskill, New York : Vivian MacKenzie[ 177] First African American to be elected mayor ofWillard, Missouri : Samuel Snider First African American to be elected mayor ofWiggins, Mississippi : Darrell Berry[ 178] First African American to be appointed mayor ofGresham, Oregon : Travis Stovall[ 179] First African American to be elected mayor, and first elected mayor, ofCleveland Heights, Ohio :Kahlil Seren First African American to be elected mayor ofNewbern, Alabama :Patrick Braxton First African American to be elected mayor ofBeaver Falls, Pennsylvania : Kenya Johns[ 180] First African American and first woman to be elected mayor ofPeoria, Illinois :Rita Ali [citation needed First African-American woman mayor ofDurham, North Carolina :Elaine O'Neal [citation needed First African American to be electedmayor of Milwaukee :Cavalier Johnson [ 181] First African American to be elected Mayor ofSummerton, South Carolina : Tony Junious[ 182] First woman to be elected mayor and first African-American mayor ofGettysburg, Pennsylvania : Rita Frealing[ 183] First African American to be elected mayor in the state ofNevada and first African American to be elected as mayor ofNorth Las Vegas, Nevada :Pamela Goynes-Brown [ 184] First African-American mayor ofOsceola, Arkansas : Joe Harris Jr.[ 185] First African-American mayor ofBrooklyn Park, Minnesota : Hollies Winston[ 186] First African-American mayor ofDanville, Kentucky : James J. H. Atkins[ 187] First African-Americanmayor of Long Beach, California :Rex Richardson [ 188] First African-American woman to be elected as mayor ofLos Angeles :Karen Bass First African-American mayor ofCulver City, California : Daniel Lee[ 189] First African-Americanmayor of Santa Rosa, California :Natalie Rogers [ 104] First Afro-Filipino mayor ofHercules, California : Alexander Walker-Griffin[ 104] First African-American mayor ofCalhoun City, Mississippi : Marshall W. Coleman[ 190] First African-American mayor ofBaldwyn, Mississippi : Roslynn Clark[ 190] First African-American mayor ofWest Point, Mississippi : Rod Bobo[ 190] First African-American mayor ofSt. Petersburg, Florida :Ken Welch [citation needed First African-American woman mayor ofWest Chester, Pennsylvania :Lillian DeBaptiste [citation needed First African American mayor ofUrbana, Illinois : DeShawn Williams[ 202] First African-American womanmayor of Alexandria, Virginia :Alyia Gaskins [ 203] First African American elected mayor and first black woman ofRoxboro, North Carolina : Cynthia Petty[ 204] First African American mayor elect and first Black woman ofConyers, Georgia : Connie Alsobrook[ 205] First African American to be elected mayor ofRoxboro, North Carolina : Cynthia Petty[ 206] First African American woman to be electedmayor of Detroit :Mary Sheffield First African American and first African American woman to be electedmayor of Albany, New York :Dorcey Applyrs [ 207] First African American and first African American woman to be electedmayor of Syracuse, New York :Sharon Owens [ 208] First African American electedmayor of Omaha, Nebraska :John Ewing Jr. [ 209] First African American elected mayor ofBrockton, Massachusetts : Moises Rodrigues[ 210] First African American woman to be electedmayor of Kansas City, Kansas : Christal Watson[ 211] First African American to be electedmayor ofEl Paso, Texas :Renard Johnson [ 212] ^ "Black Mayors" .EBONY . 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RetrievedNovember 4, 2009 . ^ Izadi, Elahe (February 18, 2010)."History maker" .The Gazette . RetrievedAugust 22, 2016 . ^ Dauphin County Election Results for the General Election, Tuesday, November 03, 2009 Dauphin County Government, accessed May 21, 2022.^ Posey, Sym (March 4, 2025)."Retired Judge Carole Smitherman on What's Next After Nearly 50 Years of Law and Politics in Birmingham, AL" . The Birmingham Times. RetrievedSeptember 19, 2025 . ^ "Acquanetta Warren Becomes Fontana's First Black Mayor" . Black Voice News. November 4, 2010. Archived fromthe original on December 14, 2010. RetrievedJanuary 17, 2013 .^ "City of Bridgeton, New Jersey - Honorable Mayor Albert B Kelly" .^ "New mayor is first African-American to lead Roxboro" .^ "Alvin Brown makes history, becoming city's first African-American mayor" ,The Florida Times-Union ^ Sandlin, Cyreia (February 19, 2020)."Edna Jackson's historic journey to Savannah Mayor" .WTOC-TV . ^ Burgarino, Paul (December 5, 2012)."Antioch's first black mayor, Wade Harper, looks to lead city after years of racial unrest" .The Mercury News ^ "Voters Make History in Orrville" .Selma Times-Journal . RetrievedNovember 29, 2017 .^ "Karen Freeman-Wilson Elected As Gary, Ind.’s First Female Mayor (VIDEO)" ,HuffPost , January 9, 2012.^ Times, Matthew WoodyThe Valdosta Daily (November 26, 2013)."There's a new mayor in town" .Valdosta Daily Times . RetrievedJune 1, 2021 . ^ "Toni Harp sworn in as 50th mayor of New Haven" .New Haven Register . January 1, 2014. RetrievedJune 23, 2021 .^ "Taylor makes History" ,San Antonio Express-News ^ Green, Jeff (July 1, 2014)."Death of Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker sends shock waves through Teaneck" .Bergen Record (NorthJersey.com ). RetrievedApril 25, 2016 . ^ "Armstead becomes Linden's first black mayor, will leave county job behind" . November 7, 2014.^ "PEARSALL CITY COUNCIL" . Frio-Nueces Current. May 28, 2015.^ "Barbara Blain-Bellamy elected new Mayor of Conway" . WorldNow and WMBF. November 3, 2015.^ "2015 Southwest Georgia Election Results" . WFXL FOX 31 News. November 3, 2015.^ Fonger, Ron (November 4, 2015)."Karen Weaver makes history, elected Flint's first woman mayor" .MLive . RetrievedSeptember 20, 2025 . ^ Vasquez, Racquel (July 23, 2020)."Commentary: Black and Brown Americans continue to experience systemic racism. It's in our history even here in Lemon Grove" .The San Diego Union-Tribune Vasquez is the first Black woman mayor in Lemon Grove and in San Diego County (footnote by The San Diego Union-Tribune ^ Sailors, Jimmy."Midland City mayor denies she made racially charged Facebook comment" .Dothan Eagle . RetrievedOctober 25, 2018 . ^ "Kenneth Alexander First African-American Mayor | AU GSLC" .Antioch Graduate School of Leadership & Change . May 11, 2016. RetrievedOctober 25, 2018 .^ Phillips, Roger." .recordnet.com . RetrievedOctober 16, 2018 . ^ Morales, Laurel (November 10, 2016)."Flagstaff Elects Its First African-American Mayor" .Arizona Public Media ^ Betherl, Brian (November 10, 2022)."Williams announces he will not seek third term as Abilene mayor" .Abilene Reporter-News ^ Williamson, Jim,"Stamps gains first African-American mayor" ,Texarkana Gazette , October 20, 2017. ^ Coleman, Emily K. (May 2, 2017)."Waukegan's first black mayor takes oath of office" .The Chicago Tribune ^ "Hon. Richard Irvin" .City ofRacine . RetrievedJanuary 3, 2021 .^ "Triton College alumni: Katrina R. Thompson" (PDF) .www.triton.edu .First elected, the seventh Mayor of the Village of Broadview in a five-person race with 44% of the vote on April 4, 2017, Katrina Thompson became the first African American female mayor of the village. In the 2021 election contest against a former mayor, Mayor Thompson was elected to a second term with 71% of the vote. ^ Henderson, Derrion (April 6, 2017)."Mound City, IL elects first African American, female mayor" .KFVS ^ Rahman, Jayed (October 3, 2017)." .Paterson Times . ^ Provost, Lee (February 19, 2020)."Black trailblazers honored by Kankakee City Council" .Daily Journal ^ Gates, Jimmie E. (June 14, 2017)."Meet the first African-American mayor in this Mississippi county" .Mississippi Clarion Ledger ^ "Liberian-American candidate becomes first black mayor in Montana" .Daily News . New York. November 8, 2017. RetrievedNovember 9, 2017 .^a b Bailey, Jennifer (April 3, 2019)."Residents elect Williams as mayor" .Commercial News Williams, 41, and the other elected officials who won Tuesday night will be sworn in on May 7 ^ "Bridgeport elected its first black mayor. Then the town divided" . October 12, 2018.^ "Mykale (Kelly) Garrett – Brief Bio" .Women Officials Network Foundation .^ "Nikuyah Walker Mayor/Council Member" .Charlottesville . RetrievedSeptember 17, 2025 .^ "LaToya Cantrell is the First Black Woman Ever to be Mayor of New Orleans" . Black News. May 10, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 17, 2025 .^ "8 Black Women Who Are Mayors in Some of the U.S.'s Biggest Cities" .Grandfather Clocks Blog . RetrievedSeptember 19, 2025 .^ "Manor's first African American mayor takes office" .KXAN ^ Leftwich, Roosevelt (February 3, 2020)."Celebrating Black History Month: Meet Elyria's first African American Mayor" .WJW (TV) ^ Massey, Patreice A. (November 6, 2019)."Monique Owens makes history…Again! Becomes First Black Mayor of Eastpointe" .Michigan Chronicle ^ "Fort Smith swears in its first black mayor; leader intent on progress for city, he says" . January 5, 2019. RetrievedDecember 19, 2022 .^ Pennington, Michelle (October 28, 2024)."Centralia High School to honor 2024 Distinguished Alumni" .Union Banner ^ Prange, Rich (March 11, 2020)."Corey Woods defeats incumbent to become Tempe's first African American mayor" .KPNX . ^ Pauling, Carrie (January 9, 2020)."Williamsport's new mayor discusses challenges and the positive impact he can make" .NorthcentralPa.com . ^ He, Eric (December 11, 2020)."Neysa Fligor blazes a trail as Los Altos' first Black mayor" .Los Altos Town Crier ^ Bandler, Jonathan (January 1, 2020)."Shawyn Patterson-Howard, first woman elected mayor of Mount Vernon, sworn in to office" .lohud.com .Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. RetrievedApril 18, 2020 . ^ Vergari, Mark (January 4, 2020)."Shawyn Patterson-Howard sworn in as Mount Vernon Mayor" .www.lohud.com .Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. RetrievedApril 18, 2020 . ^ Suttles, Dylan (April 9, 2021)."Untapped potential: Alton's first Black mayor says he's ready" .The Telegraph ^ Denham, Ryan (April 26, 2021)."Mwilambwe Comes Out On Top In 3-Way Bloomington Mayoral Race" .WGLT . ^ "Thaddeus Jones becomes the first Black mayor of Calumet City; defeats incumbent Mayor Michelle Markiewicz" .WLS-TV . May 1, 2021.^ "Kim Janey 'thrilled' to become Boston's first Black, first female mayor" . WCVB. March 22, 2021. RetrievedMarch 22, 2021 .^ Le Mignot, Suzanne (May 23, 2021)."An Interview With Donna Johnson, Libertyville's First Black Woman Mayor" .CBS Chicago ^ Nguyen, Vi (February 24, 2021)."Jada Curry Becomes First Black Woman Elected As Mayor of Lynwood" .NBC Chicago ^ Hemphill, Evie (April 13, 2021)." .Saint Louis Public Radio ^ "Little Elm Mayor-Elect Curtis Cornelious Hopes Historic Victory Inspires Youth" .CBS News . RetrievedMarch 13, 2022 .^ Bryson Taylor, Derrick; Morales, Christina (April 7, 2021)."St. Louis Elects Its First Black Woman as Mayor" .The New York Times . RetrievedMay 9, 2021 . ^ "Vivian McKenzie declares victory in Peekskill mayoral race" . News 12 Brooklyn. November 2, 2021. RetrievedMay 21, 2022 .^ Jackson, Josh (February 8, 2022)."Wiggins makes history by electing first African-American mayor" . WLOX. RetrievedMay 21, 2022 . ^ Manning, Jeff (December 2, 2020)."Travis Stovall declared winner of Gresham's tight mayoral race" .Oregon Live ^ Suttles, Chrissy (May 20, 2021)."Historic win: Beaver Falls set to elect first Black mayor after primary upset" .Beaver County Times . RetrievedOctober 12, 2024 . ^ Schumacher, Yuriko; Dirr, Alison (April 6, 2022)."Milwaukee was decades behind similar cities in electing a Black mayor" . Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. RetrievedApril 7, 2022 . ^ Wong, Tai (April 15, 2022)."First Black mayor elected in South Carolina town's history" . WLTX. RetrievedMay 21, 2022 . ^ "History made as first African American becomes Gettysburg Mayor" . January 4, 2022.^ "Pat Spearman concedes to Pamela Goynes-Brown in North Las Vegas mayor race" .KTNV ^ Williams, Imani (November 10, 2022)."Mississippi County town elects first African American mayor" .KAIT ^ Duggan, JD (November 8, 2022)."Hollies Winston elected as Brooklyn Park's first Black mayor" .Sahan Journal ^ "Atkins wins bid to become Danville's next mayor, Bottom will be next Judge-Executive" .The Advocate-Messenger ^ "Long Beach to elect first Black mayor, Rex Richardson, after opponent concedes" .Los Angeles Times ^ Cagle, Kate (January 20, 2022)."Culver City's first Black mayor is a milestone for former sundown town" .Spectrum News ^a b c McArthur, Danny (February 13, 2022)."Black elected officials break barriers as firsts in their positions" .Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal ^ Baillie, Colin (April 4, 2023)."Carolin Harvey wins election to become first Black mayor of Carbondale" .KFVS-TV ^ Fish, Sandra (May 16, 2023)."Yemi Mobolade elected mayor of Colorado Springs" .The Colorado Sun ^ "All of the Groundbreaking and Important Black 'Firsts' You Should Know" . The Root. January 22, 2024. RetrievedJuly 8, 2025 .^ "Hagerstown appoints first Black mayor" . FOX5. February 8, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 20, 2025 .^ Snipes, Anisa (August 28, 2024)."Gaffney welcomes first-ever Black mayor" .Fox Carolina ^ Schiciano, Logan (November 8, 2024)." .WMBF ^ Woodson, A.J. (November 12, 2024)."Former Councilwoman Nadine Hunt Robinson Attempts To Make History As First Black Mayor of White Plains" .Black Westchester ^ Scheel, Clarice (September 3, 2024)."Kingsport swears in first African American mayor" .WJHL ^ York, Tassie (January 22, 2024)."The Root" . ^ York, Tassie (January 25, 2024)."From the Mall to the Mayor's Office" . NABET-CWA. RetrievedJuly 8, 2025 . ^ Hogan, Johnathan (November 6, 2024)."Anita Ashford wins Port Huron mayor race, ending Pauline Repp's 15-year run" .Port Huron Times Herald ^ Piacente, Mary; Hardwick, Reginald (May 4, 2025)."DeShawn Williams sworn in as new mayor of Urbana" .Illinois Public Media ^ Bass, Randi (November 8, 2024)."One-on-one with Alexandria's first Black female mayor Alyia Gaskins" . DC News Now. RetrievedSeptember 20, 2025 . ^ "First elected Black mayor and first Black woman to serve as mayor of Roxboro, NC" .^ "Connie Alsobrook makes history as first black ever elected mayor of Conyers" .OCG News . November 5, 2025.^ "City election results finalized" .The Courier Times ^ "Dorcey Applyrs elected first Black mayor in Albany history" .Spectrum Local News . November 4, 2025. Archived fromthe original on November 5, 2025. RetrievedNovember 5, 2025 .^ Boyer, Jeremy (November 5, 2025)."Sharon Owens wins, makes history as Syracuse's first Black mayor" .Syracuse Post-Standard . RetrievedNovember 5, 2025 . ^ "First female mayor of Omaha concedes in race against likely first Black mayor" .ABC News . RetrievedMay 14, 2025 .^ "Brockton elects Moises Rodrigues the city's first Black mayor" ,bostonglobe.com , November 5, 2025^ Zeff, Sam (November 5, 2025)."Christal Watson elected as first Black female mayor of Kansas City, Kansas" .KCUR ^ Perez, Elida S. (December 15, 2024)."Renard Johnson elected El Paso mayor, easily defeating city Rep. Brian Kennedy" .El Paso Matters . RetrievedFebruary 9, 2025 .
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