Our New Mayor: Cherelle Parker

On January 2, 2024, Cherelle Parker became Philadelphia’s first female mayor. Her inauguration met with strong public support, with the Metropolitan Opera House filling up with Philadelphians excited to see her take office. Many news reporters attribute Parker’s reception to Philadelphia’s majority-Black population; however, this is an oversimplification, and a concerning one at that. In the first place, it was not solely Black voters who supported Parker; in the second, this analysis frames Parker as a racial figurehead whose principal appeal to voters was her race. Parker’s background and policies are far more relevant to her role as mayor than her race, and it was this information that she highlighted in her campaign. So how did Parker present herself, and why did Philadelphia choose her as its mayor?

Parker’s public identity revolves around her childhood as a born-and-raised Philly girl, well-acquainted with poverty. “I told you that I was born to a single teenage mother, that I was raised by my grandparents, that my grandmother collected welfare and subsidized food to take care of me,” Parker said in her inauguration speech. Not only did Parker tell her story from the start of her campaign so that her opponents could not “weaponize my humble beginnings against me,” but she targeted people who share her background through her campaign, which included videos where she described her plans for safer neighborhoods in a playground surrounded by young Black children. 

This history was likely Parker’s strongest appeal to voters, especially among younger generations. A common complaint among young Americans is that our politicians are almost all wealthy white men. For many, this means they do not trust political leaders because this demographic has not experienced the world as they see it. Someone like Parker, a Black woman who grew up in Philadelphia, not cushioned by wealth, but facing hardship from a young age, naturally gains favor from the many Philadelphians who hold this view.

However, some of Parker’s political views complicate her image, particularly in the Democrat party. Her focus as mayor is reducing gun violence. Philadelphia has the twelfth-highest homicide rate for any city in the U.S., so this is a focus that voters supported; however, one of Parker’s methods is controversial. While the Black Lives Matter Movement led many Philadelphians to demand the defunding of the police, Parker’s solution to gun violence is to strengthen the police and allow the police to stop and search people they find suspicious. This practice, known colloquially as “stop-and-frisk,” was ruled unconstitutional in New York, and the ACLU of Pennsylvania sued Philadelphia for discrimination over it in 2010, when Michael Nutter, the last mayor to support stop-and-frisk, held office. 

In particular, Parker supports “Terry stops,” in which the police must have reasonable evidence that the person is committing, has committed, or will commit a crime. While she also calls for more training and accountability for police officers to protect Black Philadelphians, many feel that the dangers outweigh the benefits. Others, however, believe Parker’s actions will create a healthy balance of power and restriction for law enforcement and that her efforts to lower crime in Philadelphia will prove successful.

It is true that many Philadelphians, particularly younger voters, value racial and gender diversity; however, Parker’s experience, worldview, and policies will define her time in office, not solely her position as the first female mayor or a Black mayor. Parker is the image of the self-made story that Americans so value. Rather than growing up privileged, she worked her way up to where she is now, and Philadelphians believe that her experiences will lead her to make decisions that represent their needs and vision for their city. Her focus on gun violence, while controversial in some aspects, shows a concern for a pressing issue in many Philadelphians’ lives. Moreover, her advocacy for policies not supported by her party shows that she builds her policies on what she thinks will yield results rather than what others want her to do. These reasons, more than simply Parker’s race or gender, are what helped her to win the 2023 mayoral elections.