Montgomery, Alabama Makes History By Electing First Black Mayor

History was made Tuesday when the capital of Alabama, Montgomery elected its first African American mayor, Steven Reed. He defeated businessman David Woods by a decisive margin, earning about 67% of the vote in Tuesday’s mayoral runoff.

“This election has never been about me. This election has never been about just my ideas. It’s been about all of the hopes and dreams that we have as individuals and collectively in the city,” Reed said in his victory speech.

“We’re a city that wants to move forward and a city that wants a vision for the future, and a city that wants to see better opportunities across the board,” Reed added.

Reed was already the first black probate judge elected in Montgomery County and was one of the first to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in the state. His father, Joe Reed, is the longtime leader of the black caucus of the Alabama Democratic Party.

Reed will replace current Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, who has served since 2009 and did not seek reelection. Check out some of the reactions from people on Twitter (below).