She was victorious over five other candidates!
Adrienne Adams just made history as New York City’s first Black woman City Council speaker, Black Enterprise reports.
Adams, a current Councilwoman in Queens, New York, will be making history as the first Black woman to become New York’s City Council Speaker after winning a majority of the votes. Last week, four of Adams’ competitors dropped out of the race to support her campaign. Another councilman, Francisco Moya, who had the backing of Mayor-elect Eric Adams, initially said he won the race but eventually also conceded to the beloved councilwoman.
“I am honored to have earned the support and the trust of my colleagues to be their speaker. Our coalition reflects the best of our city. We are ready to come together to solve the enormous challenges we face,” said Adams.
There had long been calls for a woman of color to be the next leader from incoming council members. This year’s City Council will be the most diverse in New York’s history with women and minorities making up the majority of members. While Adams and Mayor-elect Eric Adams are not related, the two did attend the same highschool and despite the Mayor-elect’s support for Moya, he quickly congratulated the council speaker on her win, saying she was “the best choice to lead our city council forward.”
In her new role, Adams will focus on setting the city’s agenda and working alongside Eric Adams to negotiate a $100 billion municipal budget.
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