Aja Brown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aja Brown
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 18th mayor of Compton | |
| In office July 2, 2013 – June 30, 2021 |
|
| Preceded by | Eric J. Perrodin |
| Succeeded by | Emma Sharif |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Aja Lena Clinkscale
April 17, 1982 Altadena, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Jonathan Clinkscale (twin) |
| Education | University of Southern California (BS, MUP) |
Aja Lena Brown (born April 17, 1982) is an American politician. She was the mayor of Compton, California from 2013 to 2021. She won the election by beating both the mayor at the time, Eric J. Perrodin, and a former mayor, Omar Bradley.
Contents
Aja Brown: Early Life and Education
Aja Lena Clinkscale was born in Altadena, California. Her mother, Brenda Jackson, worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a famous science lab at Caltech. Aja's parents separated when she was young.
She has a twin brother named Jonathan Clinkscale. He played football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Aja's mother grew up in East Compton.
In 2000, Aja graduated from John Muir High School in Pasadena. She was the senior class president there. She also played varsity volleyball.
Aja went to the University of Southern California. She received a full scholarship for her studies. In 2004, she earned a bachelor's degree. It was in policy, planning, and development. This included public policy and urban planning.
In 2005, she earned a master's degree in Urban Planning. This degree focused on how to plan cities. It also covered how to help cities grow economically.
Starting Her Career
While at USC, Aja started working for the City of Gardena, California. This was in 2004. She worked as an Economic Development Analyst. This means she helped the city grow its economy.
In 2006, Aja began working for the City of Inglewood, California. She was an Urban Planner. This role involved helping to plan how the city develops. In 2007, she served on a planning committee for Pasadena.
She later joined Compton's Redevelopment Agency in 2009. She became a Redevelopment Project Manager. Her job was to help improve areas of Compton. She focused on making the city better.
Aja helped create rules to benefit the community. She also started groups to help improve downtown Compton. She oversaw city planning and economic growth projects. Aja also created Compton's Apprentice Program. This program helped local people get jobs on city projects.
In 2011, Aja co-founded a non-profit group. It is called the Urban Vision Community Development Corporation. This group helps with community growth and youth development in Compton. Aja also created successful re-branding programs for cities. She won an award for her "Yes!" campaign for Compton. She helped promote programs for first-time home buyers. She also worked to bring experts in land use and transportation to the city.
Becoming Mayor of Compton
2012 Mayoral Election
Aja Brown had worked for the city of Compton. In October 2012, she shared her "New Vision for Compton." She was new to politics. But she won against 12 other candidates. These included former mayor Omar Bradley. She also beat the mayor at the time, Eric J. Perrodin.
Aja became the youngest mayor of Compton at age 31. She was also the 8th African-American mayor in a row.
Her Plan for Compton
As mayor, Aja Brown started a "12-point plan." This plan was made to help Compton grow. When she worked for the city, she saw that many things needed updating. Her plan aimed to fix problems in many areas. These included helping young people and improving city buildings. It also involved working with schools and growing the economy. She made her plan easy for residents to follow. This helped them see the city's progress.
Running for Congress
In 2018, Aja announced she would run for the United States House of Representatives. This is a part of the U.S. government. She was running in California's 44th congressional district. She was running against the current representative, Nanette Barragán. Aja stopped her campaign because she was expecting her first child.
Helping Families with Income
In 2021, Compton started a new program. It was called the Compton Pledge. This program gave monthly payments to low-income residents. It was a two-year program. Donors provided the money for it. Up to 800 people could receive payments. This made it one of the larger programs of its kind. Many U.S. cities are trying similar ways to help their communities.
Her Family Life
Aja Brown is married to Van Brown. He works in safety for oil and gas companies. They met and started dating in high school. Van Brown also played football at the University of Southern California.
Aja and Van moved to Compton in 2009. They are members of Faith Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church. They help with community outreach programs there. Aja gave birth to her first daughter in 2018.
Aja's first name comes from a song. It is called "Aja" by the band Steely Dan. This song was on their 1977 album, Aja. It was a favorite song of Aja's mother.
