Stokes was the first elected African American mayor of a major American city (Cleveland was, at the time, the ninth largest city in the United States).[1][2] His election came alongside the election of Richard G. Hatcher in the 1967 Gary, Indiana, mayoral election. Together, these were the first elections of African-Americans as mayors of cities over 100,000.[3] Stoke's election came in a city which was, at the time, 68% white.[2]
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