Vi Lyles Says Being Charlotte’s First Black Woman Mayor Is About Much More Than Making History

Among a dazzling field of victories in Democrats’ historic sweep in the 2017 elections, the mayor’s race in Charlotte, North Carolina stands out as one of the brightest spots. Not two hours after the polls closed on Nov. 7, the Republican candidate conceded defeat and Charlotte, for the first time in its history, celebrated the election of its first black woman mayor, Vi Lyles. And she’ll be sworn in on Monday.

Over the phone, Lyles affirms her groundbreaking victory. “It is historic,” Lyles says. “I accept and acknowledge that.”

Unlike many of the Democratic victors who ran for the first time this year, the mayor’s race wasn’t Lyles’ first foray into politics. Formerly a two-term city council member in Charlotte, Lyles is a seasoned public official who felt compelled to run for mayor because of two major events that dragged Charlotte into the national spotlight in recent years: the state legislature overturning a non-discrimination ordinance that protected the city’s LGBTQ community, and the fatal police shooting of a black man that was caught on camera.

When a Charlotte police officer fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott in an apartment complex parking lot in September 2016 and footage of the incident was released to the public, the outrage among Charlotte’s African-American community was palpable. Protests broke out, and some turned violent. The Charlotte police department maintained that Scott was armed when he was confronted by officers, while his family said he was holding a book, not carrying a gun. Ultimately, the local district attorney decided that the officer was justified in fatally shooting Scott.

With Scott in mind, Lyles says she sees her first order of business as becoming something of a bridge over the divide between the community she’s a part of and the institutions that serve it. “The first thing I want to do is actually talk about how to rebuild trust,” Lyles says. “And my goal is to take each step every day and say, does this build trust with our citizens?”

Y’all. My mother @ViLyles made history tonight. She is the FIRST EVER Black woman elected Mayor of Charlotte, NC! pic.twitter.com/Acq5ZeVE2y

— Aisha Alexander (@AishaThinker) November 8, 2017

Building Bridges (& Trust) In The Community

Now, after an exhaustive and at times ugly campaign, Lyles faces the difficult business of governing. As a black woman with years of experience serving a booming urban city in the South, Lyles says she is in a unique position to become a mayor for all of Charlotte.

“It’s not just being a black woman elected,” she says. Rather, it is that she’s a black woman who knows the city’s history and understands the unique …

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