Black Women Begin 2026 Making History As Mayors In Major U.S. Cities
Thursday, Jan. 1, marked a historic milestone for local governance as three Black women were sworn in as mayors of major cities. The five individuals in the image are Mary Sheffield, Joi Washington, Christal Watson, Dorcey Applyrs, and Sharon Owens, all of whom recently made history by being elected as mayors of their respective cities. In Detroit, Mary Sheffield, 38, took the oath of office in a private ceremony at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, becoming the city’s first woman and first Black woman mayor in its 324-year history. Sheffield, the daughter of civil rights activist and
Civil Rights Legend Claudette Colvin, First to Sit for Bus Desgregation Inspired Generations
Claudette Colvin, the civil rights pioneer whose quiet act of defiance helped dismantle segregation on Montgomery buses, has died of natural causes. She was 86. On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation confirmed that the civil rights activist died in Texas. Long before Rosa Parks became the public face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Colvin who at the time was a 15-year-old high school student in an act of justified defiance refused to give up her seat on a segregated city bus. On March 2, 1955, a Montgomery
Calvin Duncan, Exonerated After 30 Years In Prison, Elected As Court Clerk
Calvin Duncan, a New Orleans man who spent three decades in prison for a 1981 murder before his conviction was overturned, has won Saturday’s (November 15) race to serve as the city’s chief criminal court record keeper, per the Associated Press. Duncan, a Democrat, spent years fighting to clear his name after being convicted of carrying out a fatal shooting. In 2021, a judge vacated his conviction after Duncan uncovered evidence that police officers had lied in court. He is now listed in the National Registry of Exonerations. According to the
Political Powerhouses RaShon Young, LaVon Bracy Davis Win Special Elections
Florida Democrats scored decisive victories in two special elections on Tuesday (September 2), signaling growing opposition to Republican leadership. According to the Orlando Sentinel, RaShon Young and LaVon Bracy Davis both won their races for the Florida House and Senate, respectively. Young, a legislative staffer and former NASA engineer, won House District 40 with 75 percent of the vote. Bracy Davis, who previously held the House seat, won Senate District 15 with 73 percent of the vote. Both Democrats surpassed the share won by 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in their respective districts. On Tuesday, Bracy Davis,
Trump Targets Fed’s First Black Woman Governor, Triggering Legal and Economic Showdown
President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook, one of the seven governors of the Federal Reserve, is the kind of constitutional clash that feels less like a personnel dispute and more like a test of American democracy. It forces us to confront a question we rarely have to ask so bluntly: where does presidential authority end, and where must institutional independence begin? Cook, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022, is no stranger to breaking barriers. A daughter of Georgia, a Spelman graduate, former Michigan State University
Joint Center Celebrates Hiring Tim Mack as Communications Director
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, commends Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) for hiring Tim Mack as communications director. Prior to his current role, Mack served in various communications roles for Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-PA), including communications director/senior adviser, press secretary, and press aide. Mack graduated from Lock Haven University with a B.A. in communication and media studies, political science, and government, and the University of Leeds with an M.A. in political communication. With the addition of Mack, African Americans account for twelve (4.2
Angela Alsobrooks, Lisa Blunt Rochester Make History as Newly Elected Black Senators in 2024 Election
Two years ago, the U.S. Senate did not have a single Black woman. And before that, only two Black women had ever served in the upper chamber of Congress. Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland have changed the math. They both won their races on Tuesday, Nov. 5 — making history while bringing greater representation to Congress and maintaining the Democrats’ hold on the seats. This is also the first time that two Black women will serve as senators together — and they will each take
Monroe Nichols Becomes First Black Mayor of Tulsa
Photo: Oklahoma House of Representatives Democratic Oklahoma Rep. Monroe Nichols has made history in the city of Tulsa. On Tuesday (November 5), Nichols was projected to win the Tulsa Mayoral election, besting his challenger, Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith, per 2 News Oklahoma. Nichols will serve as Tulsa’s first Black mayor. He delivered his acceptance on Tuesday night in front of images of Black Wall Street, a thriving district in Tulsa that was destroyed by a white mob in 1921. Nichols, who’s served as a State Representative for House District 72 since 2016, will take over for
Melesa Johnson Becomes 1st Black Woman Elected As Jackson County Prosecutor
Voters in Kansas City, Missouri made a historic choice on Election Night. On Tuesday (November 5), Democrat Melesa Johnson was elected as Jackson County prosecutor, making her the first Black woman to hold that office, per KSHB. Johnson defeated Republican Tracey Chappell in the race for Jackson County prosecutor by a large margin. “It’s honestly surreal,” Johnson said Tuesday night. “I’m excited, full, and hopeful, but know we have a lot of work to do.” Johnson will succeed Jean Peters Baker, who has served as Jackson County prosecutor since 2012. Peters Baker was only the second woman to be
Nick Brown Makes History as Washington’s First Black Attorney General
Photo: Nick Brown For Attorney General Democrat Nick Brown made history on Election Night. On Tuesday (November 5), Brown was projected to win the race for Washington attorney general, besting Republican Pete Serrano, per the Associated Press. Brown's win makes him the first Black person to serve as Washington's attorney general. He is succeeding Bob Ferguson, who ran for governor instead of seeking reelection, to become the state's first new attorney general in 12 years. During his campaign for AG, Brown, a former U.S. attorney for western Washington, faced Serrano, a