Wu challenges the status quo in historic mayoral election

Michelle Wu’s victory in the Boston mayoral election is not only a historic achievement for the city, but also redefines the role Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have in future politics.

According to a report from the Reflective Democracy Campaign, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are severely underrepresented in political office, despite being the fastest-growing demographic group. On election night, Wu challenged that report by becoming the first female Asian American mayor and the only Asian American to be mayor in a major US city. She now joins the few Asian American politicians in the US who are elected leaders.

“After nearly two years of a pandemic, a racial awakening that has left us questioning how everything was done in the past, and a volatile economy that is still leaving many behind, it is clear that we need new leadership in this city. A generational shift of leadership,” Representative Aaron Michlewitz said. “Tonight, we turned to Michelle Wu for that leadership.”

Wu addressed over 100 supporters at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts Tuesday night.

“One of my sons asked me the other night if boys can be elected mayor in Boston. They have been and they will again someday, but not tonight,” Wu said to the crowd. “On this day, Boston elected your mom because from every corner of our city Boston has spoken.”

In light of the surge of hate crimes against Asians that occurred in the past year, Wu’s victory sparked hope for change within the Asian community.

“Last year has been hard for Asian Americans and just Asian people in general,” Darren Deng, an international and second-year master’s student at Brandeis University, said. “It's important that somebody stepped up to lead the community.”

Her win also allowed young Asian Americans to remain optimistic about the future of Asian American representation in political office.

“As a Chinese woman, I come from a part of the country where I didn't really see a lot of people of color representing elected positions,” Boston University senior Barrett Yueh said. “It is a very fulfilling moment to see another Chinese woman win such a high-profile election.”

Wu’s supporters were especially inspired by the fact that she was open and unapologetic about her Chinese roots, referring to her adding her Chinese name in her social media profiles.

“Going forward, I would hope that people of color, especially Chinese people, in this case, feel less of a pressure to whitewash themselves in order to play this political game,” Yueh said. “The demographic of the United States is changing and being Chinese or being a person of color is not a detriment to your political campaigns or your goals or career aspiration.”

Wu recognized that her victory is not only progress for the city, but also for the rest of the country.

“Today at the polls, and over this last year, and over generations in this city, Boston has come together to reshape what is possible,” Wu said. “Boston has always been the city that punches above our weight, where our activism, our community, our joy radiates out into progress across the country.”