Michelle Wu Makes History as First Woman and First Person of Color Elected Mayor of Boston

By Darby Jones November 3, 2021

"From every corner of our city, Boston has spoken. We are ready to meet this moment. We are ready to become a Boston for everyone,” Wu said during an election night speech to supporters.

City Councilor Michelle Wu has been elected as Boston’s mayor, making her the city’s first woman and first person of color elected to the office — breaking a 199-year streak of white, male elected city leaders. Wu defeated Annissa Essaibi George, a self-described first-generation Arab-Polish American.

Wu, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan, moved to Boston from Chicago and attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School.

“From every corner of our city, Boston has spoken. We are ready to meet this moment. We are ready to become a Boston for everyone,” Wu said to a crowd of supporters Tuesday night. “I want to be clear, it wasn’t my vision on the ballot, it was ours, together.”

“I want to offer a great big congratulations to Michelle Wu,” Essaibi George said to a crowd of supporters at her election night party. “She’s the first woman and first Asian American elected to be mayor of Boston.”

Wu will be succeeding acting mayor Kim Janey, Boston’s first Black and female mayor who took over when Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was named President Joe Biden’s Labor secretary in January.

This election marked a turning point in Boston politics, which has a history of racial tensions. It also reflected an increasingly diverse city where Black, Latino and Asian residents make up over half of the population.

Image source: NBC News