Shaundel Washington-Spivey elected first Black and LGBTQ mayor of La Crosse, Wis.

Voters in La Crosse, Wisconsin, made history on Tuesday when they elected the city’s first Black and openly gay mayor. Shaundel Washington-Spivey came out victorious in the local race against Chris Kahlow, winning by just 451 votes.

“It means a lot,” Washington-Spivey told reporters Tuesday night of his historic win, reports WXOW 19. “When I think of the work that the Enduring Families Project has been doing in this community to shine a light on earlier Black settlers in La Crosse to now get to the place where I am the first Black mayor of the city, that means the world.”

Washington-Spivey is a former elected school board member and community leader who co-founded Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.), Inc., a nonprofit organization that supports La Crosse youth through various programs and initiatives. He also served on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ Advisory Council on Equity and Inclusion.

“The identities we hold matter, and while race is a social construct, at the end of the day, who we are in our lived existence needs to be understood, appreciated and respected for what it is,” said La Crosse’s newly elected mayor. “I just look forward to making sure that we bring this community together across difference, across socio-economic status, across race, gender, sexual orientation, all of those things to ensure that we truly build a community that’s for everybody.”

Washington-Spivey’s victory is being celebrated across the state, particularly among fellow Black Wisconsinites. Former Democratic Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes told theGrio, “His election shows exactly why we can’t give up on the things that matter.”

Former Milwaukee Democratic Party chairman Chris Walton told theGrio that Washington-Spivey “did everything he was supposed to do,” adding, “He moved to a new town to go to college and made that adopted community his home and now he’s the mayor-elect.”

Walton continued, “With everything going on right now around issues regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, we had the opportunity to elect a young Black man from Milwaukee, a public school graduate who has become an education leader in his community, a member of the school board, a business owner and a proud openly gay man Take his message to build a stronger La Crosse.”

He said Washington-Spivey is a “prime example of some of the best we have to offer.”

La Crosse’s new mayor told reporters Tuesday night that in his first 100 days, he plans to get to know the city’s staff and work with them to better manage city priorities.