History was made Tuesday night as Ella Jones became the first black mayor elected in Ferguson, Mo. Not only that, but she also became the first-ever woman elected in Ferguson was well.
According to CNN, Ella Jones earned 54% of the vote in the race against her opponent, Heather Robinett who earned 46% of the vote. This victory comes nearly six years after Michael Brown was gunned down by police officers. His death started a movement as protests erupted in the city and later across the world as people pushed for justice to be served.
According to the New York Times, both Ella Jones and Heather Robinett have both made their support clear for the peaceful protests that have been sweeping the world following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Ella, who has lived in Ferguson for 40 years, and who also serves as a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, spoke out following her victory and said, “I’ve got work to do — because when you’re an African-American woman, they require more of you than they require of my counterpart. I know the people in Ferguson are ready to stabilize their community, and we’re going to work together to get it done.”
Ella will succeed James Knowles III, who has been mayor of Ferguson since 2011. He was not able to run for re-election because he has reached the limit of terms he could be in office. Back in 2017, Ella ran against him for mayor but lost to him.
In 2015, Ella also made history as she became the first black woman elected to the City Council.
