Alyia Gaskins is preparing to take office after making history last week by becoming the first Black woman elected mayor of Alexandria, Virginia.
In early January, she will be formally sworn in.
Gaskins was unopposed on the Nov. 5 ballot, but in order to get there, she had to defeat two fellow Democrats in the June primary.
Election night was a special moment in her life, Gaskins said in an interview with WTOP.
“It was still exciting, and it felt different than the primary because it was official,” Gaskins said. “I was met with hugs and lots of screams from my family and friends.”
Gaskins currently serves on the Alexandria City Council, a position to which she was elected in 2021. She will replace outgoing Mayor Justin Wilson, who decided not to run for reelection.
The fact that Gaskins is doing something no other Black woman has ever done makes her feel “joy, gratitude and humility.”
“I understand our city’s history and our roots and the role that we played as almost one of the largest slave trading locations in the country,” Gaskins said. “To think about our past and then to think about what I represent in our future is important.”
And it sets a remarkable example for her own daughter.
“I hope more young girls who look like my daughter and look like me will be inspired to say, ‘I can do what she does. I have a voice and I’m going to make sure it’s heard,'” Gaskins said.
As Alexandria’s mayor, Gaskins said her priorities would be based on conversations she has had, and continues to have, with residents.
Her focus will be on, “building a safer, more affordable and more accessible city that works for all of us.”
When it comes to the issue of youth violence and crime, Gaskins said she wants to, “invest in prevention” to make sure young people have programs, mentorships and “opportunities for jobs that put them on a positive path.”
Gaskins said she would fight against efforts to eliminate older, multifamily housing units in the community “to keep people in their homes so that they are not pushed out or displaced.”
She also wants to prioritize community engagement efforts.
“I really look forward to trying to put forward some new activities and some new structures for how we listen and how we implement community feedback,” Gaskins said. “As the mayor, you become kind of the city’s chief communicator, and it’s now going to fall on me to really make sure that we’re bringing people to the table.”
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