Jamila Winder, Montgomery County's 1st Black chair, shares her story with students

A Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, woman is breaking barriers in local government and inspiring the next generation along the way.

Jamila Winder became the first Black woman elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2023. Now she's making history as the county's first Black chair.

Winder shared her story with fourth graders at Penn Wynne Elementary School on Tuesday to show them that history is something they, too, can help shape.

"I'm proud to be the first, but it's so important that in this moment, that kids that look like me see their selves in me," Winder said.

Winder gathered with students in the cafeteria to read "Hidden Figures," a story about four Black scientists who helped shape American history from the 1930s through the 1960s, even as segregation held them back.

"My message to the kids is really just like, fast forward to today," Winder said. "Anything is possible."

Students said the visit left a big impression, helping them imagine their own futures differently and believe that they can lead, too.

"It's good for the fourth graders to see someone famous because it can inspire them to like try to be their own selves and express themselves however they want," Sophia Goldsmith, a fourth grader at Penn Wynne Elementary School, said.

Winder told students her commitment to public service started close to home. She credits her grandmother with teaching her the importance of giving back, sharing stories of the discrimination her family faced and how far they've come.

"She would tell stories about how she would be called the N-word on the walk to the school," Winder said. "And so to fast forward to this moment to have her granddaughter be sitting, leading the third largest county in Pennsylvania, it's just really a moment that I'm grateful for."