Alabama has elected its first African American woman District Attorney.

Lynneice Washington officially took up the position this past Tuesday, after defeating republican incumbent Bill Veitch by 299 votes. The 49-year-old, who was originally born in Birmingham, served in a number of notable roles prior to becoming DA, including presiding judge over the Bessemer Municipal court and assistant DA for the Bessemer Cutoff.

"I had no clue of the history I was making," Washington said in an interview with AL.com. "I love serving people and protecting the underdog."

Washington briefly stated what she hoped to accomplish as Alabama's DA in the interview, saying that her "objective is to be fair and balanced in all cases."

"I want to be able to stand up when there is some type of inequality, even as a prosecutor," Washington said. "I have been sworn to uphold the laws fairly and in a balanced fashion. As a prosecutor we are bound to do that."

In related news, Baton Rouge recently made history by electing its first ever black woman mayor.

The East Baton Rouge Parish selected Sharon Weston Broome over her opponent Mack "Bodi" White, in a tight race that saw Broome receive 52 percent of the vote. She will succeed fellow democrat Kip Holden, who served for 12 years as the first black mayor of the city.

"Tonight Baton Rouge made a statement, a statement that we are a city of inclusion," Broome said in her acceptance speech. "That we are a place of hope and optimism. A place where little boys and little girls of all walks of life know that they can grow up and lead a city no matter what their color or gender."

"Being unified is not only part of a vision for our future, it's the backbone of the process that takes us there," Broome added. "We will work for the next four years to make our city an example of how to heal and progress past the hurt that we have seen."