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For the first time in history, a woman of color is expected to be elected as the mayor of Boston. Recent polling from Suffolk University places City Councilor Michelle Wu at the head of the pack with 31% of the vote. Not far behind Wu, Kim Janey, the city's first Black acting mayor, holds 20% of the vote. Contending for fourth place, Wu's fellow city councilor, Andrea Campbell, has garnered 18% of the vote. Needless to say, it is a tight race as election day nears.
"History will not be made on November 2, the day of the final election," Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos told Voice of America.
"History will technically be made next Tuesday because both candidates will be persons of color."
Like many other cities, Boston has had a troubled history regarding its treatment of communities of color. As The Washington Post reports, the city has dealt with segregated schools, public housing issues and poor policing for the last few decades. In the present day, the city has had an issue with gentrification. While less than 50% of the city is white, a large portion of the residents being priced out of their neighborhoods are people of color. Electing a mayor of color will not magically solve these issues, but longtime residents believe it may be a step in the right direction.
“Whoever becomes the next mayor will bring their identity and their lived experience,” Dorchester native Lori Smith Britton told The Washington Post.
“It’s a political positive to understand what it is to be discriminated against. I think that would open up some eyes," South Boston resident Jim Kuchinsky-Warren added.
Voters will take to the polls to cast their ballots on November 2.
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