Ferguson elected its first black mayor 6 years after a white police officer shot and killed teenager Michael Brown
Ella Jones was elected mayor of Ferguson, Missouri on Tuesday.
Jones will be the first African American and the first woman to occupy the position.
Her election comes six years after Ferguson was thrust into the national spotlight with the police-involved killing of Michael Brown, a black teenager.
Jones' election comes during new unrest following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes during an arrest.
History was made in Ferguson, Missouri, on Tuesday, when the St. Louis suburb elected its first black mayor.
Ella Jones defeated fellow councilwoman Heather Robinett 54% to 46%, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Jones will also be the first woman to occupy the mayorship.
Jones' election comes six years after Ferguson was thrust into the national spotlight with the death of local teen Michael Brown.
Brown, who was black, was shot dead by white officer Darren Wilson, prompting nights of protests in the city — a turning point in the Black Lives Matter movement.
—Jason Rosenbaum (@jrosenbaum) June 3, 2020
Wilson was never prosecuted for shooting Brown, but later resigned from the force.
"It's just our time," Jones, 65, said after her win Tuesday night, according to the Post-Dispatch. "It's just my time to do right by the people."
When asked what her election would mean for the city's black residents, she said: "One word: inclusion."
According to her biography on the city's website, Jones has lived in Ferguson for more than 40 years, and graduated from the University of Missouri at St. Louis, where she earned a degree in chemistry.
This is the second time she has ran for mayor. She lost to incumbent Jones Knowles III in 2017, who reached his term limits this year. He had been in office since April 2011.
Both Jones and her opponent said they supported the recent peaceful protests in response to the death of George Floyd.
Floyd died last week after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes during an arrest. Floyd's death has prompted protests in cities across the country, some of which have turned violent.
Jones and Robinett said they did not support rioters, and Jones said one of the first things she plans to do as mayor is "to help stabilize the businesses in Ferguson," especially those damaged in the recent violence.
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