Yoon-mi Hampton is now the first Black councilmember in Lilburn and the first person of Asian descent to hold that role in Gwinnett County, but said she hopes one day her race won’t matter.
Hampton took office during Monday’s City Council meeting after running unopposed in a special election for Post 1. The new councilwoman will complete the unexpired term of Lindsay Voigt that ends in December 2023. Voigt resigned earlier this year due to relocating outside of city limits.
Hampton, a Lilburn resident of 23 years, said she hopes to strengthen the community and bring people together in her new role.
“I want this to be a city where we don’t see colors, races or religion, but we only see each other as the human race and work together to build this city,” Hampton, 61, said. “It takes a village to raise a child; it takes a village to raise a community.”
Hampton joined a group of community stakeholders who founded the “3.16 United Nations of Gwinnett” after the Atlanta spa shootings on March 16. Fellow members of the group encouraged Hampton to run for public office, and a vacancy on City Council convinced her to run for office.
“I’ve been serving, doing different things, and I didn’t think I was going to become a councilwoman,” Hampton said. “That was never in my vocabulary before, but then somehow it was time and God opened the doors.”
Hampton previously served on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals. She’s a graduate of Lilburn’s Citizens Police Academy and a member of the city’s Woman’s Club. She considers herself a “dispatcher,” lending a hand to those in need.
Besides her official duties, Hampton said she enjoys reading, singing and “praising God.” A wife and mother of one, she said several children look up to her as a motherly figure. “I’m everybody’s mama,” she said.
The historical significance of stepping into the role represents “a fresh outlook that racism doesn’t belong in America,” Hampton said. She said she enjoys the family-oriented nature of Lilburn and the closeness of the community.
“Americans have to come together as one, not in division,” Hampton said. “I feel like I’ve been doing community service, helping my neighbors all the time. Now, God has stepped me into (this role) where I can reach the broader community.”
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