Jaylen Smith: The Youngest African American Mayor in U.S. History

A runoff election in the small town of Earle, Arkansas, made history in 2022. An eighteen-year-old named Jaylen Smith became the youngest African American mayor in U.S. history. Here, Election Central takes a closer look at this remarkable accomplishment. 

Who is Jaylen Smith? 

At just eighteen years old, Smith is a 2022 graduate of Earle High School. Currently, he is a freshman at Arkansas State University Mid-South, where he participates in the student government association. Smith says joining the university’s student government inspired him to run for office.  

Earle, Arkansas, is a town of just 1,831 people. It is located about twenty-five miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee. In the November 2022 general election, Smith ran against Nemi Matthews, Sr., for the mayor’s seat. Matthews has served for thirty years as Earle’s street and sanitation superintendent, and his family has been friends with Smith’s family for years.  Neither candidate won fifty percent of the vote, so a runoff election was held on December 6. When the polls closed, Smith had 235 votes to his opponent’s 183. According to Matthews, there was no animosity between the two candidates during the election process, and they both helped each other out as much as they could. 

What Next? 

Smith will be sworn into his new role on New Year’s Day. During his four-year term as mayor, Smith says that he plans to focus on improving transportation and public safety. He wants to bring in more businesses to the area, and to increase residents’ access to food sources by bringing a major grocery store to Earle. His other goals include beautifying the town and tearing down abandoned buildings. Smith says that he feels a strong calling to stand up and speak for people who are unable to advocate for themselves.  

Politics and the Power of Youth 

Smith says that he hopes that his victory will inspire other young people to enter politics. Voters under the age of 29 helped determine wins in several key battleground races in November. Currently, Gen Z voters make up ten percent of the total eligible voters in the U.S. Election Day 2022 also saw the first Gen Z candidate to win a seat in Congress: 25-year-old Maxwell Frost of Florida.  

Dig Deeper What do Jaylen Smith of Earle, Arkansas; Michael Sessions of Hillsdale, Michigan; and John Taylor Hammons of Muskogee, Oklahoma, have in common? In your opinion, why is it important for young people to get involved in politics?