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Waynesboro to celebrate historic election of African American mayor, vice mayor

Crystal Graham
African American waynesboro city council black history month
Image courtesy Terry Short, Jr. – Waynesboro City Council

The Waynesboro Historical Commission will celebrate Waynesboro’s first African American mayor and vice mayor with a reception on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m.

The event, held during Black History Month, will allow residents to come and meet and mingle with Mayor Kenneth Lee and Vice Mayor Lorie Akanbi.

The city recognized Black History Month through a proclamation on Jan. 24. The Clerk of Council sent a copy of the proclamation to the curator of the African American History Museum in Waynesboro.

Light refreshments will be provided.

The reception will be held in the corridor outside Waynesboro City Council chambers at 503 W. Main St. in Waynesboro.

Lee and Akanbi were elected to the positions by their fellow Council members on Jan.13.

“I knew that there was a possibility that I was going to be mayor. I had some support,” Lee told AFP the morning after the historic vote. “When it finally happened, it was just a little overwhelming … just being a kid from Waynesboro who grew up, born and raised here, and then really understanding that I’m the first African American mayor in the city’s history. That’s something to be extremely proud of.”

The City Council meeting will begin following the reception at 7 p.m.


Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.