A Missouri city appoints its first Black member to council

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) - A city council in a southwest Missouri community recently appointed its first Black member amid division in the community.

Julia King, 37, was sworn in on Tuesday after Branson Mayor Edd Akers and a panel of former and current elected officials unanimously selected King for the city’s Board of Aldermen. Her appointment was approved during a special meeting on Aug. 11, The Kansas City Star reported.

King is the only woman on the otherwise all-male board.

“She loves to work and has a good work ethic. She loves to serve people and get things done,” Akers said. “Her background and experience brings a unique perspective to us.”

King worked nine years for healthcare IT firm Cerner Corp. and is now at Healthcare Performance Group as a project manager.

King said she expects that she and other council members will set an example by working together.

“I believe it’s going to send a message of inclusion and unity and acceptance,” she said. “It starts with us listening to one another, developing relationships with one another and understanding that none of us are each other’s enemy.”

Branson has experienced division in recent months. In July, the board implemented a mask mandate despite major opposition.

A Black Lives Matter protest also caused controversy. Demonstrators spoke out against Dixie Outfitters, which sells Confederate flag merchandise. Many people demanded that the council removed the store, or at least its Confederate flags. Store supporters wore Confederate flags over their clothing and played songs like “Song of the South” and “Sweet Home Alabama” in response to protesters.

“It’s not a flag that welcomes all people to Branson,” King said. “It does not send the message or create the perception that Branson is a safe, family-friendly town for everyone.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, a Black woman approached the podium and read Tupac Shakur’s poem, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete.”

“I’m glad that you’re here,” the woman told King. “Representation matters.”