City Government

City Government

DAN BROWN

First African-American Mayor for the City of Knoxville

Knoxville City Councilman Daniel T. Brown has always embraced service - as a U.S. Army soldier in Vietnam in 1970, as a 22-year public servant with the U.S. Postal Service, and as an East Knoxville community leader.

But on Jan. 10, 2011, he made Knoxville history.

This was the day that Daniel T. Brown became Knoxville’s first African-American mayor.

The sitting mayor, Bill Haslam, had been elected as Tennessee’s governor two months earlier. At the time, Brown was serving on Council as the representative for the 6th District. Brown was elected by his fellow City Council members to serve out Haslam's unexpired term; he served for 342 days.

---

GWEN MCKENZIE

First African-American Woman Vice Mayor for the City of Knoxville

Gwen McKenzie was elected as City Councilwoman for the 6th District on November 7, 2017, and during her first term, she was selected as the First African-American Woman to serve as Vice Mayor.

She served as Vice Mayor December 2019-2021.

See her bio below the video.

In the video below, watch her nomination during the December 19, 2019 City Council meeting - see minute marker 3:20.





Gwen McKenzie was elected to Knoxville City Council in 2017 becoming, not only the first African American woman to serve on City Council but also the first woman to represent the 6th District in the history of Knoxville.

In 2019 she became the first African American woman to serve as Vice Mayor. 

Gwen’s Father, the late Woodrow Z. Wilson, Jr. moved his young family to Knoxville from Columbia, S.C to become the first Executive Director of the Knoxville Area Urban League. Her Mother the late Dora C. Wilson was a retired Educator and community volunteer. Gwen grew up seeing her parent’s helping others, which is where her passion for giving back comes from. 

Gwen’s volunteer service expands 30 years with numerous organizations.
In 2018 she successfully introduced a controversial Gun Show Resolution that banned Gun Shows not only from her district, but all City owned facilities. Per McKenzie “it is extremely offensive to my community to be labeled a Gun Zone due to gun violence yet continue to promote selling guns in our backyard.”  McKenzie credits the community members who protested over the years (especially Mothers who lost children to gun violence) as the true champions for this resolution. 

In 2020 Vice Mayor McKenzie introduced the “African American Equity Restoration Resolution” to apologize for Urban Renewal but most importantly to implement actionable measures which included forming an African American Equity Restoration Task Force to identify barriers and solutions to improve economic and living conditions for African Americans in Knoxville. “Knoxville’s African American population being 17%, yet 42% are living at or below poverty level is completely unacceptable per McKenzie”. The Resolution also includes a 10 year $100 million goal. McKenzie believes the apology was necessary to begin the healing process and restoration will come from creating opportunities and access to break cycles of generational poverty leading to generation wealth building. This historic resolution passed unanimously by Knoxville’s City Council.
In May of 2020 McKenzie being aware of the health disparities in communities of color related to COVID 19 education, testing and vaccination, along with Cynthia Finch created the “Faith Leader’s initiative. The initiative is a weekly call with faith leaders to ensure they have accurate information on COVID 19 along with access to testing, vaccines, and resources in underserved communities.
  
Mrs. McKenzie worked for CVS Health for 19 years and held several leadership roles within the organization. Currently she is an independent consultant. 

Gwen currently serves on several Boards to include New Directions Healthcare, Tennova Healthcare, Knoxville Area Urban League, Knoxville Community Action Committee, Zoo Knoxville, and Lawson Family Foundation. Gwen is a member of the Knoxville Chapter NAACP, Leadership Knoxville Class of 2020, and Town Hall East Community Association.

Gwen attended South Carolina State College. She is a member of Greater Warner AME Zion Church. She has three children and 8 grandchildren. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

Gwen has been honored to receive numerous awards to include Ethel Beck Society Woman of the Year 2024; Girl Talk “Shero Award” 2024; YWCA Tribute to Woman Inaugural Social Justice Award; Omega Psi Phi Citizen of the Year Award; Prince Hall Masons Distinguished Service Award, Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority Distinguished Service Award; AHERN, Inc, Distinguished African American Award
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Woman to Woman Award for Government and Politics; Home Federal Bank Hometown Hero Award; UNNIK Academy Community Recognition Award; CVS Health’s President National Paragon Award.

---

MARK BROWN

First African-American Vice Mayor for the City of Knoxville

Mark Brown was first elected to City Council in November, 2001, representing the 6th District.

In 2003, he became the City's first elected African-American Vice Mayor.

He was re-elected to City Council and the Vice Mayor position again in 2005.

Brown resigned in 2009 to accept the position of Knox County Judicial Commissioner.

In December of 2009, he swore in 6th District Councilman Daniel T. Brown who would eventually become the City's first African-American Mayor. See photo on this page.

---

AMELIA PARKER

First African-American At-Large City Council Representative

Amelia Parker is the first African-American elected to serve as an at-large City Council member; she holds seat C.

Parker was elected to City Council on Nov. 5, 2019, as part of the most diverse Council in Knoxville history.

Click here to learn more about Amelia Parker

---

African-American Political Engagement in Knoxville Dates Back to Mid-1800s

Knoxville City Councilman Daniel Brown has always embraced service - as a U.S. Army soldier in Vietnam in 1970, as a 22-year public servant with the U.S. Postal Service, and as an East Knoxville community leader.

But on Jan. 10, 2011, he made Knoxville history.

This was the day that Daniel Brown became Knoxville’s first African-American mayor.

The sitting mayor, Bill Haslam, had been elected as Tennessee’s governor two months earlier. At the time, Brown was serving on Council as the representative for the 6th District. Brown was elected by his fellow City Council members to serve out Haslam's unexpired term; he served for 342 days. On Nov. 8, 2011, Madeline Rogero was elected, and on Dec. 17, she was sworn in as the City's first woman mayor.


Councilman Brown says he “always had an interest in politics.” He'd majored in history and political science at Tennessee State University.

As mayor and councilman, Brown has focused on Knoxville's redevelopment. It's how the City and its residents prosper, and how neighborhoods get stronger. Jobs are created, and everyone's quality of life improves. One of Brown's particular interests is spurring reinvestment in the Burlington neighborhood.

 

But while Brown was Knoxville's first African-American mayor, the City's black citizens have long been politically engaged. The first African-American aldermen were elected shortly after the Civil War, and in the early 20th century, Knoxville had a "Bronze Mayor," who was selected by votes cast through an African-American newspaper.

Consider this context: In 1860, about one in four Tennesseans were living in slavery. Less than 3 percent of the 276,000 blacks in Tennessee were free. So how did African-Americans gain a foothold in politics in that era?

It started with a few successful City legislative races. Then a gubernatorial run. And 70-something years before Daniel Brown became Knoxville's first black mayor, there was Dr. James Henry Presnell and his honorific mayorship.

Several black candidates ran for political office in Knoxville beginning in the mid-1800s. There was a breakthrough in 1869, when Isaac Gammon and David Brown became Knoxville's first African-American representatives on the Board of Aldermen, a precursor to the 20th century City Council.

Another notable African-American politician during the 1870s was William Francis Yardley. Historian Robert J. Booker says that Yardley “was one of Tennessee's most outspoken citizens and colorful public officials during Reconstruction times.” He'd studied law and became Knoxville’s first African-American lawyer in 1872.

After serving on the Board of Alderman from 1872 to 1873, Yardley in 1876 ran for governor as an independent.

Even though he lost the gubernatorial race, Knoxvillians affectionately nicknamed him “Governor Yardley,” Booker said.

William Francis Yardley was also the publisher and editor of Knoxville’s first African-American newspaper, the Knoxville Examiner, in 1878. He also published and helped establish the Knoxville Bulletin in 1882.

Moses Smith, Knoxville’s first African-American policeman, was elected to the Board of Aldermen in 1874 and 1878.

Flash forward to the 20th century - and the popularity of James Henry Presnell in the 1930s and 1940s.

According to Booker’s research, Presnell owned a medical practice in Knoxville and was respected in the city for his practice of medicine. He won a “Bronze Mayor Contest” in the Flashlight Herald, the African-American newspaper in Knoxville at that time. The “Bronze Mayor Contest” was intended to designate an African-American leader who would voice community concerns.

Booker said that Presnell won the contest “by more than 2,800 votes over his nearest rival.”

In recent decades, African-Americans have served without exception on every City Council. These elected representatives have demonstrated strong leadership. For example, Mark Brown in 2003 became the City's first elected African-American vice mayor, a position he was re-elected to in 2005.

In 2004, the City opened a neighborhood park in Mechanicsville and named it in honor of the late Councilman Danny Mayfield, co-founder of the urban ministry Tribe One and a community leader who represented the 6th District until his death from bone cancer in 2001. Mayfield had run unsuccessfully for mayor in 1999.

Former Mayor Brown believes that societal perceptions of African-Americans are positively changing - and he encourages all Knoxvillians to continue to be open-minded and politically engaged.

“I hope I am not the only African-American mayor that we are going to have in this city,” he said.

Painter Carl Hess unveils his portrait of former Mayor Daniel Brown. It hangs in a fifth floor City County Building gallery of mayors' portraits.