Mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, shared his thoughts after hearing the news of the death of Aurora alderwoman Scheketa Hart-Burns, at Aurora’s Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony, Monday, June 19.
“Scheketa was a mother, a sister. We called her the dean of the alderman.
“Most importantly, she was a friend of so many.
“She will forever be missed.
“She died today on Juneteenth 2023.
“She was a trailblazer herself as the first African-American woman elected in this City’s history almost forty years ago,” he said.
“Today will be known as the Scheketa Hart-Burns Juneteenth Celebration, from this point forward!”
“We will always remember our mother Hart-Burns and what she has done for this City!”
First elected in 1991 to serve Aurora’s Ward 7 residents, alderwoman Hart-Burns, Aurora’s first black elected official on City Council, died after a long illness.