Mayor Cherelle L. Parker

Remarks | 100th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia

CHERELLE L. PARKER is a Philadelphia native who was born to a single teenage mother and raised by her grandparents. It was the power of a village – her family and her community – and their belief in the power of education that gave her the opportunity to succeed. A graduate of Philadelphia public schools, Mayor Parker was the first person in her family to go to college, earning her bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University where she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a public high school English and ESL teacher working with immigrant children and adults prior to being inspired to public service through her internship with Philadelphia Councilwoman Marian Tasco. The future mayor made history by being the youngest African-American woman elected to the State Legislature, where she served in the State House for 10 years representing Northwest Philadelphia, the 200th district, and where she chaired the Philadelphia Delegation. She was elected to City Council in 2015 to represent the 9th Council District and by 2019 was elected by her peers to serve as City Council Majority Leader. In the 2023 mayoral election, she won a highly contested Democratic Primary and General Election to become the 100th Mayor of Philadelphia and the first woman and Black woman to hold the office. She is a mom, a teacher, and a strong, experienced leader who seeks to create a safer, cleaner, greener city with access to economic opportunity for all.