Nikuyah Walker | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia | |
| In office January 4, 2018 –January 5, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Signer |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd Snook |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Independent |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Virginia Commonwealth University (BA) |
| Profession | Civil servant,activist |
Nikuyah Walker was the mayor of Charlottesville,Virginia from 2018 to 2021. She became the city's first black female mayor in January 2018,after being elected to the Charlottesville City Council. [1]
Walker was born and raised in Charlottesville. [1] She graduated from Charlottesville High School in 1998 and received her bachelor's degree in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004. [1] She has three children.
Walker began her campaign in March 2017. [2] Her campaign gained traction after the Unite the Right rally in August 2017. [2] Walker publicly pressured the City Council and then-mayor Michael Signer to answer questions about why a permit had been issued for the rally,and why the City Council was not addressing issues raised by the event. [3] Walker and Heather Hill were elected to the city council,winning 29% and 28% of the vote respectively. [4]
Walker was the first Independent candidate to be elected to the City Council since the 1940s. [3] One of Walker's major goals was to increase affordable housing in the city. [5]
Walker participated in The National Memorial for Peace and Justice to honor the memory of John Henry James,who was lynched just outside Charlottesville in 1898. [5]
In March 2021,Walker began taking criticism of a Tweet published to both her Mayoral and personal Twitter and her Facebook pages stating "Charlottesville:The beautiful-ugly it is. It rapes you …" [6] [7]