Steven Reed Becomes The First Black Mayor Elected In Montgomery, Alabama

History has officially been made in the city of Montgomery, AL as they have elected their first black mayor in the city’s 200 years. On Tuesday, Steven Reed was elected as the city’s first African American mayor.

According to the New York Times, Reed, who is the first black probate judge in Montgomery County, won about 67% of the vote in the nonpartisan runoff election. He won the race against David Woods, a white television station owner. The two candidates advanced from a 12-person election back in August.

Reed expressed gratitude following his historic win. He said, “This election has never been about me. This election has never been about just my ideas. It’s been about all the hopes and dreams that we have as individuals and collectively in this city.”

Many of us who are familiar with our Black History knows that Montgomery is the place of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was sparked by Rosa Parks during the Civil Rights Movement.

Some of Steven Reed’s other credentials also include him being an alum of the prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta. He also earned his M.B.A from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

According to WSFA, David Woods, Reed’s opponent, said, “Montgomery is a special place populated by special people and that hasn’t changed. And we’re just going to go forward and try to support Steven Reed as mayor. And I just want to encourage everyone to try to continue to work together to bring Montgomery as a unified city. A unified Montgomery is a lot stronger than a divided Montgomery. We want to go forward in a sense of unity.”

BREAKING: Montgomery, Alabama, has elected an African American mayor for the first time in 200-year history, @wsfa12news reports. https://t.co/vnHbFFOCp2

— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) October 9, 2019

Congrats to Steven Reed on his historic win!

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/us/steven-reed-montgomery-mayor.html?auth=login-email&login=email

TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94