NEWBURGH HEIGHTS, Ohio — Carrying the title of being the first to do anything is a heavy responsibility to tote; Annette Blackwell and Gigi Traore know the weight firsthand.
"It's hard work to go where there is no trail," said Traore.
Blackwell and Traore's commonalities reach far beyond the color of their skin and gender. Blackwell and Traore are both mayors; Blackwell leads Maple Heights, and Traore leads Newburgh Heights; both ladies are the first Black women to hold the role in their towns.
"It is extremely stressful, the scrutiny, the way our credentials are cast even now, people say, 'What made you qualify? How did you turn Maple Heights around?'" said Blackwell.
Blackwell has been mayor since January 2016. Just months before she was elected, Maple Heights was placed into fiscal emergency mode by the Ohio State Auditor's Office. News 5 reported the city was more than $2 million in debt.
"That's actually what motivated me," said Blackwell. "I'm not a CPA, but I have a strong financial background; I believed I could do something different."
In 2020, the state released Maple Heights from a fiscal emergency, and just last year, it received the clean audit award from the state auditor.
Traore also stepped into the role of mayor during an intense monetary scrutiny of the city. She assumed the role as mayor last May after former Mayor Trevor Elkins was sentenced to jail for using his campaign funds for personal use.
Today, Traore said she holds her role with high integrity, and while it's already tough to be a woman in the workplace, as a chief executive of a town, she still often finds herself teaching people how to talk to her.
"Don't make negative comments about my hair, don't make comments about my appearance, don't hug me, it's inappropriate," said Traore. "I tell people, act like I'm a man in this position."
As of 2021, The Center for American Women and Politics reported that women made up only 25% of mayors of U.S. cities with a population over 30,000.
While these ladies may be the first, they say they most certainly won't be the last.
"People are cheering for us that look like us that didn't quite make it," said Blackwell. "They're hoping that we are going to be the change."
"When you have Black women at the table, they're going to bring a perspective that other folks may not," said Traore.
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