Barack Obama and Many Others Rejoice in the Election of Ella Jones as Ferguson Mayor
Ella Jones is the first African-American and first woman to be elected as mayor of Ferguson.
Celebrities across multiple social media platforms rejoiced as Ella Jones took office as mayor of her hometown, Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson, a city that is no stranger to protests against racial injustice, has a history of discrimination at the hands of law enforcement. In 2014, Michael Brown, a black teenager walking with his friends, was fatally shot by a former white police officer. Disturbingly, this occurred even as Brown had his hands held up.
Second, a reminder of the difference politics and voting can make in changing who has the power to make real change in a community like Ferguson with a history of blatant discriminatory law enforcement practices.https://t.co/U0z9wMOx8z
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 3, 2020
Barack Obama recently advocated for an equal balance of protest and politics, imploring individuals to vote in elections that have the political influence to make a difference, starting from our communities to our states. Celebrating Jones’ historical victory, Obama shared took to Twitter to voice his support for her and continued to stress the importance of voting. Multiple other celebrities joined him on social media to congratulate and honor the new mayor.
Some nice news to end the day.
Tonight, Ella Jones became the first Black person and the first woman ever elected mayor in Ferguson, Missouri.
Blessings to Ferguson.
https://t.co/aK843Fy7lf— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 3, 2020
A has bloomed from the cracked concrete state of nation we’re living in right now! Beautiful thing to see! Congrats Ella Jones!! . We must continue to keep going now up https://t.co/WCRIXo59S5
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 3, 2020
This is the second time Jones has run for Mayor, although she did notably serve as the first African-American woman on Ferguson’s city council. Ms. Jones continues to push boundaries because “it is just my time to do right by the people,” as she told St. Louis Post Dispatch. Jones secured 54% of the St. Louis suburb votes and is ready to begin implementing changes in city practices, including partnering with the federal government on a consent decree.
