TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) – Qualifying for Tybee Island’s mayoral race ended Thursday afternoon, now with three candidates in the running.

One of them is making history as the first Black woman to qualify to run.

“Tybee has been my home for 26 years and I’ve had the honor to serve my city,” said Julia Pearce. “This is another opportunity for me to do such.”

Pearce is the first African-American woman and the second woman to run for mayoral office on Tybee.

“When I went to sign up for mayor, I took the photo of my grandfather with me because in 1923, exactly 100 years from now, he left LaGrange, Georgia, because he did not have the right to vote,” she said. “I felt very historic being able to sign and very thankful that in a time like this, I am able to do something like this.”

Pearce says she is honored to create history on an island that has given her so much.

“Tybee Island is a phenomenal island and we do phenomenal things for each other in this community,” she said. “We do phenomenal things for other people. We even do it internationally, so I’m very proud to be a part of it,” Julia Pearce.

Mack Kitchens and Brian West have also qualified for the Nov. 7 municipal election. Current Mayor Shirley Sessions announced in May she would not be seeking reelection.