Georgia, Florida Elect First Black Governors

Recent and historical efforts to advance Black representation and civil rights span education, activism and electoral politics. A Boston University course brought students to Montgomery to study the civil rights movement, while an upcoming Asheville event will honor Etta Mae Whitner Patterson and Oralene Anderson Graves Simmons, who helped desegregate local institutions and became the first Black students at two area colleges in 1961. The NAACP and National Urban League, both more than a century old, have pursued Black advancement through distinct approaches. In politics, the article reports that Georgia elected Keisha Lance Bottoms as the first Black woman governor, while Florida elected Byron Donalds as its first Black governor, highlighting sharply different political coalitions and paths to historic milestones.