Meet Cherelle Parker, the first female mayor of Philadelphia city.
She clinched victory on Tuesday with a commanding 73.8% against her Republican rival, etching her name in history as Philadelphia’s first-ever woman and Black woman Mayor.
Back in 2005, Cherelle made waves as the youngest Black woman elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, proudly representing northwest Philadelphia.
At present, the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University reports that eight Black women are at the helm of the top 100 most populous cities in the U.S.
Before Cherelle, Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles stood as the solitary Black woman overseeing one of the 10 most populated cities. Now, Cherelle takes the reins as mayor of the sixth-largest city in the United States, ready to embark on her four-year term from January.
On her historic win, Cherelle says, “Who is Cherelle Parker going to be? A get-it-done Philadelphian,” she said. “A get-it-done mayor who won’t ever forget her deep roots”