Halifax Has its First Black City Councillor in 16 Years – and He’s Probably Younger Than You

While we’ve all been consumed with the mind-blowing political charade south of the border, some pretty notable things have been happening in local politics.

On October 15, Lindell Smith became the first black city councillor elected to Halifax city council in 16 years – and he is probably younger than you.

As highlighted on CBC’s The Current, the 26-year-old won District 8, Halifax Peninsula North, with about 52 per cent of the vote.

He told The Current‘s Anna Maria Tremonti that he’s taken community work seriously since the age of 14 and began advocating for change and making moves in his community throughout his teenage years.

first-black-city-councillor

Image: CBC

“There’s not as many African Nova Scotians in the district as there used to be,” says Smith to the CBC, speaking of the significance of his historic win.

“So that’s one of the milestones of the election was that… it wasn’t just black voters that voted for me, it was the whole community, from seniors, to people of all different races and heritages.”

first-black-city-councillor

Image: Metro News

While the move is definitely a telling sign of the times, according to CBC, Smith says the win is bittersweet given that there has never ever been an indigenous person – a group that is all too often underrepresented – on council in Nova Scotia ever.

Among other things, he hopes to spark a dialogue on the issue.

Lindell was sworn in yesterday, in a ceremony in which he gave a sweet shout out to his mom, shouting “Mama! We did it!,” from the stage.

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