From a first-generation college student to corporate worker, to owner of a local cafe Cup of Joe, and Assistant Mayor of Portsmouth, NH, Joanna “Jo” Kelley has done it all.

A small-business owner, organizer for Black Lives Matter and former ward of the state, Joanna Kelley, made history in the Nov. 2 election by becoming the first Black city councilor of Portsmouth in memory.

2021 Portsmouth City Council Candidate Questionnaire

'Landscape is changing' in Portsmouth, says cafe owner and assistant mayor Joanna (Jo) Kelley

Assistant Mayor Joanna Kelley, who owns a café that was targeted, said the goal was to outshine hate by being more vocal than the perpetrators.

‘Live Free or Die’ Must Apply to All New Hampshire People

Within weeks of Joanna Kelley’s election as Portsmouth’s first Black assistant mayor, a White retail employee in a nearby town trailed her around a mall store, making her uncomfortable enough to walk out without buying anything for an upcoming trip.