18-year-old Jaylen Smith has made history by becoming the youngest Black Mayor ever elected in the history of the United States of America. He won the mayor’s race in Earle, Arkansas, making him America’s youngest Black mayor in history.
“I didn’t run to make a name for myself. I ran because I wanted to help my community and move my community in the direction that it needed to be moved in.”
Jaylen Smith to CNN in an interview
Smith received 218 votes to his opponent’s 139, winning the election. In a runoff election, Smith, 18 years old, defeated Nemi Matthews Sr.
With more than 40 years of experience working in Earle, a small Arkansas town with a population of under 2,000 people, Matthews is the superintendent. Earle is located about 30 miles northwest of Memphis.
Smith, a recent high school graduate, spoke about his objectives if he were elected mayor of Earle in an interview with FOX13 last month.
Despite his youth, Smith has a clear idea of what he wants to see in Earle and is aware that it won’t happen right away. In addition to making the police department operational around-the-clock, creating jobs for young people, and implementing public transportation to grocery stores, he wants to rebuild the city by getting rid of its vacant homes.
