'Anything is possible': Arkansas town elects the youngest Black mayor in U.S. history
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. Smith, a Democrat, beat out his opponent, Nemi Matthews Sr., the town’s longtime street superintendent, in a runoff election in which the teen captured 61% of the town’s vote, or 218 votes compared with Matthews’s 139, according to Fox 13 Memphis.
Smith says his plans for the town include bringing a major grocery store to the community, increasing transportation options for elderly residents and building 24/7 public safety resources.
“We have to start somewhere,” Smith said of critics who say that his win is insignificant. “Our city is important … and we have potential to move forward.”
And he’s not doing it alone. Smith says he’s shadowed and connected with nearly a dozen mayors from various cities across Arkansas and other states to understand the gravity of the role he’s undertaking and its expectations. He believes the wisdom that he’s gained from them has made all the difference.
“I’ve had mayors look at me in my eyes and they saw [my will] and they believed that it could happen,” he said. “Them believing in me encouraged me to keep going, even though people said, ‘You’re too young,' ‘He has no experience,’ ‘You just graduated high school.' They helped me to see the bigger picture … because anything is possible.”
One of those mayors Smith connected with — Frank Scott Jr., the mayor of Little Rock — has served as a de facto mentor throughout his campaign.
“I’m excited for Jaylen and the entire community in Earle,” Scott, who also serves as president of the African American Mayors Association, told CNN. “I’m proud of his willingness to enter into public service at such a young age and his aspirational goals for the city.”
Despite his excitement since winning the mayoral race, the mayor-elect says he hasn’t celebrated and likely won’t until January because he sees a bigger picture beyond the accolades.
“I don't drink, no smoking, none of that. I don't even party,” he said with a laugh. “I'm a different type of 18-year-old. When you see people out at a party, I'm at home sleeping or I'm at a conference meeting with different people because I've always wanted to make an impact because of the passion I have for advocating, helping and caring for people. … I know I wanted to be somewhere in life, so that's what I did. I just got it done.”
And if running a small town wasn’t enough, Smith, who plans to major in criminal justice and political science at Arkansas State University Mid-South, says he has even loftier goals for his life, which includes a step-by-step plan to one day lead the country.
“My biggest dream is to be president of the United States of America,” he said. “That's the goal I'm going for, but until I get there, I'm going to stay involved, become a law enforcement officer, then state senator or state representative and eventually governor for the state of Arkansas.”
“Before I leave this Earth, I want to leave a legacy for generations and generations to come.”
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Cover thumbnail photo: Jaylen Smith
