When Emeka Jackson-Hicks was sworn in as the 25th mayor of East St. Louis, Illinois, it meant more than the defeat of her predecessor Alvin Parks. It meant more than a simple changing of the guard.
With her oath, Jackson-Hicks ushered in a new era in which the top four leadership positions for the city will be held by women. It is an historical moment of opportunity.
Mayor Jackson-Hicks, City Manager Deletra Hudson, City Treasurer Charlotte Moore and City Clerk Doreen Hoosman comprise the new power dynamic for ESL, with two of four City Council positions also being held by women.
So the question becomes: What will these black women do that so many of the previous male leaders were incapable of doing?
I sincerely hope that the answer to that question is “succeed.” And I fervently pray that the sudden exodus of testosterone and infusion of estrogen into the ESL body politic will result in an increased capacity to elevate East Boogie in unprecedented ways.
During Mayor Jackson-Hicks’ inaugural address, she stressed the need “for (ESL) to come together and … fight together,” keying in on transparency, accountability and implementation as focal points of her administration.
With numerous references to her faith, particularly in dealing with the sudden death of her young daughter during the campaign, she summed up ESL’s destiny in saying, “This is not about me, but the God who chose me.”
Her remarks come in the tradition of strong black women in the forefront and behind the scenes of our historical progress as African Americans. It is their faith, their nurturing spirit and their sense of family and community that brought blacks through slavery all the way to the White House.
This is an opportunity for these sisters to demonstrate what progress looks like without the bravado, arrogance and politically savage behavior of their male counterparts and predecessors.
Perhaps their maternal instincts, combined with the intellect of these women, will create a culture in which a more civil and hospitable tone can be struck and it will become easier to conduct business with ESL.
So maybe, just maybe, the right man for the job of resurrecting the city of East St. Louis may prove to be a woman.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com; Twitter@JamesTIngram.
