Throughout February, Police Chief Virgil Green will share stories of African Americans who were trailblazers and broke barriers in the United States and Minnesota. Last week featured John Mitchell, the City’s first Black elected City Council member. This week highlights Mayor Roslyn Harmon, the City’s first Black mayor.
Harmon has lived in Golden Valley for 30 years—a city that is 85 percent white—and made history in 2023 when she became mayor, said Green. She is also the executive director of the Dispute Resolution Center, a St Paul-based mediation center that provides restorative-justice diversion programs for the Ramsey County court system and the St Paul City Attorney’s Office. In addition to her work in mediation, she has served as an educator, a mental health practitioner, and a pastor.
“Mayor Harmon joins a prestigious group of Black women leaders in Minnesota, where young Black female mayors are shaping cities across the state,” said Green. “She follows in the footsteps of Sharon Sayles Belton, who in 1994 became the first African American and first woman to serve as mayor of Minneapolis. Harmon celebrated her historic victory alongside her close friend Nadia Mohamed, the mayor of St Louis Park, who made history as the first Somali American mayor elected in the United States. Golden Valley and St Louis Park, both suburbs west of Minneapolis, continue to pave the way for diverse leadership.”