President's Welcome

Dear Mayors,

I am both humbled and honored to be asked by my colleagues from across the country to serve as President of the African American Mayors Association. This organization is a valuable and essential advocate for cities of all sizes, and it’s imperative that we work collaboratively to effect change and improve our communities. 

AAMA has been a leader in supporting the compelling work of African American mayors since its creation in 2014. It has empowered mayors to seek economic and social justice and to speak in a unified voice on the public policy matters that impact our cities. 

Membership in AAMA gives mayors the opportunity to connect with each other and the stakeholders important to our cities. As mayors, AAMA provides training opportunities, facilitates communications with national and state leaders and emphasizes a policy agenda that leads to real action.

AAMA’s strength is in its membership, and I encourage all Black mayors to be a part of this active and influential association.

Over the next year, our association will make it a priority to improve the quality of life and place in all our cities through our advocacy and policy work. We recognize that sustainability initiatives, tech and innovation, and affordable housing all impact public safety and lead to more vibrant and thriving communities.

We live in challenging times as the global community emerges from a pandemic that has disproportionately affected minorities. At the same time, we are seeing increased gun violence. With our focus on public safety, we will work with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies to take illegal guns off the streets and emphasize community policing. Making our cities safer means ensuring justice for all while enacting prevention and intervention measures that keep our children safe.

As an association, we want to take the lead on sustainability and acknowledging that climate change has a real impact on the cities we serve. We’ll do so by identifying a carbon metric standard for cities and setting clean, renewable energy goals for the next decade.

We want to prioritize digital equity, making broadband affordable and accessible, and we will work to grow the number of Black entrepreneurs and thought leaders in tech and innovation spaces.

As inflation impacts our most vulnerable and our cities face an affordable housing crunch, AAMA will facilitate discussions with HUD and be ready to implement recommendations and changes to make housing more affordable and accessible.

While these are my priorities, they can only be achieved with the help of AAMA’s member mayors. During my term as president, I look forward to helping lead the way as we make this association stronger and as we lead and serve at the nexus of policy and action.

I appreciate you.

Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. (Little Rock, AR)

President, African American Mayors Association