Braveboy’s Brave New Journey

Issues such as the impact of DOGE cuts on federal workers met new Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy at the door as she took the helm of one of America’s wealthiest majority Black counties.

By DOUGLAS PRICE

For Black Women Unmuted

Black Women Unmuted sat down recently with Aisha Braveboy, newly elected executive of Prince George’s County, Maryland, to talk about the issues that she will confront at the helm of one of the wealthiest majority Black counties in the United States.

Aisha Braveboy is Prince George’s County’s second Black woman executive. She won a special election in June to complete the unexpired term of Angela Alsobrooks, who stepped down after being elected as Maryland’s first Black woman U.S. senator last November.

Like many local government leaders, Braveboy is facing some headwinds. Chief among them is increased unemployment among federal workers _ a significant number of whom are Prince George’s residents _ due to actions taken by the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Also on Braveboy’s plate: Dealing with a wave of carjackings in local municipalities that prompted change at the top of the county police department. In our exclusive interview, Braveboy said she plans to put “a renewed focus on community-centered policing, where the community is part of the police, and the police is part of the community.” The County Council authorized a 7.4% increase in spending for the County Police Department in fiscal year 2026, which began on July 1.

On the matter of increasing unemployment and economic challenges to county residents and their families, Braveboy said, “we’re working now to develop a plan to reach out to those workers to introduce them to opportunities at the local level.” The hiring is underway in her own office, she said.