Rita Ali (born January 31, 1958) is an American politician serving as the 47th mayor of

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

since 2021. She was elected on April 21, 2021, finishing just 43 votes ahead of her opponent, councilman Jim Montelongo. Ali was sworn in two weeks later on May 4, becoming both the first woman and the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

to serve as mayor of Peoria. She has previously served on the Peoria City Council and has held a position as Vice President of Workforce and Diversity at

Illinois Central College Illinois Central College (ICC) is a public community college with its main campus in East Peoria, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System and its district, Illinois Community College District 514, is a includes most of Peo ...

Formative years

Ali is the daughter of Robert and Nora Bryant. She has an older sister, Robin, and younger brother, Robert.An Interview with Rita Ali
" in ''Peoria Magazine'', March 2006. Peoria, Illinois: Central Illinois Business Publishers, Inc. (retrieved online May 25, 2021). She spent her early years in

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...

, and subsequently relocated with her family to Peoria, Illinois during 1964, when she was six years old.Councilwoman Rita Ali Is Running For Peoria Mayor
" Peoria, Illinois: WCBU-Peoria Public Radio, September 1, 2020 (retrieved online May 25, 2021). Ali was a 1976 graduate of Manual High School. A single parent following her graduation, she began her college education at

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,200 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in fiv ...

with the help of a full-tuition scholarship (the

Romeo B. Garrett Romeo Benjamin Garrett (February 2, 1910 – March 23, 2000) was a professor of sociology at Bradley University. He was the first black faculty member to be hired by the university. The Romeo B. Garrett Cultural Center at Bradley University was ...

Scholarship), and attended classes there for two years until financial circumstances forced her to temporarily leave school to work full time. Thirty years later, she was a doctoral candidate in organization and management at

Capella University Capella University is a private for-profit, online university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school is owned by the publicly traded Strategic Education, Inc. Capella has 47 degree programs with over 1,600 courses. Approximately ...

in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2006, having previously earned her bachelor's degree in human services management from the

University of Illinois Springfield The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois, United States. The university was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1969 as Sangamon State University with a focus on post-graduate edu ...

and her master's degree in education administration from Bradley University. As Rita Bryant, she met her future husband, Bashir Ali, while they were both employed by the City of Peoria's Central Illinois Private Industry Council. She and Ali were married on May 6, 1996, and have four daughters and nine grandchildren. Bashir Ali has been the director of workforce development for the City of Peoria since 1987.

Professional life

Rita Ali secured her first job at the age of fourteen. She was employed as a community outreach worker by the Dar es Salaam (House of Peace) Center on Peoria's South Side, and was also later a community organizer for the Northside Action Council. Later in her professional life, as the manager of the federal division of an information technology company, Rita Ali worked in Washington, DC for two years, but decided to return to Peoria to be closer to family. Hired as the director of Multicultural Student Services at Bradley University, she was subsequently appointed as the director of diversity at

in 2004.

Political career

Still employed at Illinois Central College in 2019, Rita Ali held the title of vice president of workforce, diversity and career development. She had also been elected to the Peoria City Council.Dr. Rita Ali: ICC/Peoria City Council
" in ''Peoria Magazine'', December 2019. Peoria, Illinois: Central Illinois Business Publishers, Inc. (retrieved online, May 25, 2021. Ali was an at-large member of the Peoria City Council at the time she announced her run for mayor in 2020. She was successful, and made history, becoming the first woman and first African American to become mayor of Peoria.

References

External links

Mayor's office
at PeoriaGov
Rita Ali for Mayor of Peoria, Illinois
(Ali's campaign website; provides details about her personal life). Peoria, Illinois: Citizens to Elect Ali (retrieved online May 25, 2021). {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Rita Living people Illinois Democrats Mayors of Peoria, Illinois Peoria, Illinois City Council members 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century mayors of places in Illinois Women mayors of places in Illinois African-American mayors in Illinois University of Illinois at Springfield alumni Capella University alumni African-American women mayors 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 1958 births

Formative years

Professional life

Political career

See also

References

Further reading

External links