*An 18-year-old recent high school graduate has made history as the youngest Black American ever to be elected mayor in the country.
The city of Earle in Arkansas, a town of just under 2,000 people, elected Jaylen Smith as its new mayor on Tuesday. Smith, a Democrat, received 235 votes in the runoff election while his opponent, Nemi Matthews Sr., the city’s longtime street and sanitation superintendent, received 185 votes, according to the Crittenden County Clerk’s office, BBC News reports.
“I felt so grateful! I had the craziest facial reaction when I won! It was such a blessing,” Smith told NBC News.
“It’s Time to Build a Better Chapter of Earle, Arkansas,” Smith wrote on Facebook to celebrate his victory.
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“My mom can’t stop crying,” Smith told the Washington Post on Wednesday.
“It feels awesome. Generations and generations of people will read about this historical moment,” he told NBC of his win.
The young politician has a learning disability but Smith noted that this “does not take away from what I am able to do,” he said, as reported by The Hill. “In fact, it motivates me more to achieve greatness.”
As mayor, Smith plans to focus on transportation, public safety, and adding a grocery store to the city.
“We had one a long time ago, but it closed,” Smith said about the grocery store. “Our seniors don’t have transportation to get to and from West Memphis to get food. So it would be better to have a grocery store here in town.”
Smith, an Arkansas State University Mid-South student, hopes his win inspires young people to get into politics.
“Go for it!” he said. “It would be good for more young people to step up to the plate and say, ‘I want to be the change. I want to be the leader people want to see in my community.’”
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