Cherelle Parker’s win symbolizes victories that are often generations in the making

I thought a lot about history on primary day — the history of the city of so many historical firsts getting one step closer to electing a woman as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor.

But there was also a little personal history being made about 200 miles away. While voters were heading to the polls here, my youngest niece, Jalen, was graduating from Eastern Connecticut State University, following two other nieces and one nephew, and changing my family’s collective educational history in one generation.

Before my oldest niece graduated six years ago, I was the only one in my immediate family to stumble her way to a college diploma.

Like so many of us who’ve emerged from striving families, I’d like to believe that my winding, bumpy road led to a slightly smoother path for those behind me, just as I hoped for a primary win by one of the three strongest mayoral candidates, each of whom also happened to be a woman, in order to pave the road for others.

I couldn’t be at Jalen’s graduation — she was walking across the stage around the same time the polls closed. But I texted her throughout the day to let her know that while I was here waiting on city history to be made, my mind and heart were very much with our family, who excitedly gathered at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., hours before she walked across the stage.

“Fingers crossed,” Jalen texted, when I told her we just might be nominating a woman as our Democratic candidate for mayor, which in Philadelphia all but guarantees a win in November. And she was sweet enough to thank me for the steps I took before her and her cousins.

“I remember being a little girl in class thinking how I needed to pay attention and ‘be like Auntie Helen,’” she texted. Told you, sweet.

Despite those who want to erase or reshape history, what happened — or didn’t — before us, matters, and it often sets in motion dreams and aspirations that can take generations to be realized.

It’s what compels those who come here from other shores — hopeful families like my mother’s and father’s who have come to the mainland from Puerto Rico (which is part of the United States, but more on that in another column), and migrants on Greg Abbott’s and Ron DeSantis’ forced bus rides to Northern sanctuary cities.

Everyone is trying to find their way, trying to break through, trying to clear paths for those behind them.

Around midnight, the race was called for Cherelle Parker, the veteran lawmaker with deep connections to the Northwest section of the city, making her the favorite to be the first Black woman mayor of Philadelphia. (She, too, was the first in her family to go to college.) That’s a huge deal.

Putting aside for today the confusion over Parker missing her own victory party because of dehydration or a dental emergency — although I really hope the conflicting stories aren’t indicative of a lack of transparency — history was made Tuesday night.

I’m sure that the two other talented women who were left in the race — former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart and former Councilmember Helen Gym — are deeply disappointed. But I hope both women — and their dedicated supporters — move past those feelings quickly to appreciate that they were part of history as well, and to put their skills to work for the city. They may not have been Philadelphia’s pick this time, but their undeniable qualifications and passion gave voters three strong choices for those of us who understand the importance of representation in politics, and the world around us.

(In addition to Parker, Rue Landau, a progressive backed by the Democratic Party, also won Tuesday night, positioning herself to become the first openly LGBTQ Council member.)

Firsts are exciting, and should be celebrated. But they are also a reminder that we are not where we should be. “First In 2023!?!” one person lamented on Twitter under a post about Janice Darko becoming the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Utah’s School of Dentistry. I had a similar reaction when President Joe Biden announced the nomination of economist and World Bank official Adriana Kugler to join the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, potentially making her the first Latina on the board.

When the Philly mayor’s race was called for Parker, I hesitated to text Jalen with the news; it was late. But after such a long campaign, I was excited to share the results, and I had promised to let her know.

“We have a woman mayor!”

Her response came almost immediately: “wooo!!”

It had always been just a matter of time.