Though he still lives at home with his parents, 18-year-old Jaylen Smith is now the youngest Black mayor in U.S. history after the college freshman won an election on Tuesday to become head city official of Earle, Ark.
“I’m grateful to have an opportunity to be Earle’s mayor and become the youngest African-American mayor not only in the state, but nationwide,” Smith, who just graduated from Earle High School less than six months ago, told Yahoo News. “It’s so amazing to be a kind of inspiration to not only myself, but the other young people that want to go into politics.”
Earle, which is located about 30 miles northwest of Memphis, is a small majority-Black town of about 1,800 residents, according to the latest census data, where the median household income is about $37,000.
Recent Comments