Melesa Johnson Was Elected the first Black Female Jackson County Prosecutor

The Kansas City Globe e-Edition
Melesa Johnson speaks to supporters after her victory. . Credit: Peggy Lowe / KCUR 89.3
Melesa Johnson speaks to supporters after her victory. . Credit: Peggy Lowe / KCUR 89.3

Melesa Johnson, who promised to combat Kansas City’s high violence rate with aggressive prosecution and crime prevention, easily won the Jackson County Prosecutor’s race on Tuesday to become the first Black woman in the job.

Johnson, 35, who emphasized her roots in the city’s urban core, will replace prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who has held the job since 2011. Johnson, an early-career attorney in…