We Celebrate: Jim Sills

Jim Sills became the first African American to serve as Mayor for the city of Wilmington in 1992. Prior to that, Sills taught at the University of Delaware from 1972 to 1977. He was founding director of the Urban Agent Program and in 1987 he founded the Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council. In the 1970s he was elected to the New Castle County School Board and later served as its president. In 1978, he successfully supervised the school desegregation of Wilmington schools. He also served on the Wilmington City Council. Sills was elected as the representative for the Third District in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1984 to 1992 before making the decision to leave state politics to run for mayor in 1992. He was reelected in 1996 with 61% of the vote. Sills still resides in New Castle County. #BlackHistoryMonth2021 #EquityCSD #powerofwecsd