Macon's First Black Mayor | Blackenomics | Black History

Описание: A few weeks ago, I talked about the first black man that ran for Mayor in Macon but did you know a few years after that, we got our first black Mayor?
That’s right! The first black Mayor of Macon, Georgia is Mr. C. Jack Ellis. So how did he get there? Let’s find out:

Born on January 6, 1946 right here in Macon, he joined the US Army and served as a combat soldier and paratrooper in Vietnam in the 101st Airborne Division. From that, he earned lots of awards including Combat Infantryman’s Badge and a Purple Heart. He served over 20 years in the US Army. In 1998, he worked with Reverend Jesse Jackson on his second presidential campaign. After that, he worked for the Census Bureau from 1988 to January of 1991, and managed a cable television system on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands that focused on issues facing the black community while running a youth summer basketball training camp for future NBA stars.

He ran for Mayor in 1999 where he defeated former Macon Mayor Buck Melton, becoming Macon’s first black Mayor. As the 40th Mayor of Macon, the City successfully won a federal Hope VI grant to improve public housing, constructed over 300 new affordable housing units and eliminated over 2000 sub-standard houses. Macon was even designated as a city of excellence by the Georgia Municipal Association.

He left office in 2007 and worked on getting re-elected a third time back in 2011.

Being the first of anything is never an easy feat, but Former Mayor Ellis made a lasting impact on Macon.