2003年，吴弭以优异的成绩被哈佛大学录取，前往波士顿就学，并在毕业后开始涉足政坛。2013年，28岁的吴弭当选波士顿的市议员。2016年，吴弭全票当选为市议会的主席，成为首位担此要职的少数族裔女性。2020年9月，她宣布角逐波士顿市长。
200多年来，美国东部大城市波士顿的市长一直是白人男性。吴弭发表胜选感言称：“我儿子有天晚上问我，男孩能不能当选波士顿市长。他们一直以来都可以，以后可能也会当选，但今晚不会。”媒体称，其胜选是女性和亚裔的双重胜利，打破了一道美国全国性的藩篱。
吴弭身穿一身红裙宣布胜选，她笑容满面地说，“我们准备好迎接这个时刻，我们准备成为所有人的波士顿，准备好成为不赶人的城市，欢迎称此地为家的所有人。”根据亚太裔国会研究所的数据，在11月2日之前，全美100座大型城市中，有六座城市的市长是亚裔，而这些城市全都位于加州或得州。
美国东部时间11月2日，华裔女性候选人吴弭（Michelle Wu）当选美国历史重镇波士顿市长，成为波士顿历史上首位当选市长的亚裔女性。吴弭1985年出生在美国芝加哥，自幼就在家中为讲汉语的父母担任翻译。吴弭的父母早年从中国台湾地区移居至美国。以下是吴弭的获胜演讲完整视频及全文：
Well, good evening.
So one of my sons asked me the other night if boys can be elected mayor in Boston. They have then and they will again someday, but not tonight. On this day, Boston elected your mom because from every corner of our city, Boston has spoken.
We are ready to meet this moment.
We are ready to become a Boston for everyone.
We’re ready to be a Boston that doesn’t push people out, but welcomes all who call our city home.
We’re ready to be a Boston where all can afford to stay and to thrive.
And yes, Boston is ready to become a Green New Deal city.
Today, at the polls, and over this last year, and over generations in this city, Boston has come together to reshape what is possible. We are the city of the first public school in the country, the first public park, the first subway tunnel in the country. We’re the city of revolution, civil rights, marriage equality. Boston has always been that city that punches above our weight, where our activism, our community, our joy radiates out into progress across the country. And today, together, we are marching into Boston’s promise.
We stand here in the South End on the edge of the Southwest Corridor. It is here where 52 years ago, there was a 12-lane highway planned. They said it was a done deal, that stopping it would be impossible. And for a while, that’s how it seemed until a coalition of activists from across our neighborhood stood up for people over highways.
Some of them are here in this room and they successfully fought for housing that was affordable, for an Orange Line instead of an interstate, for families then and for families for generations to come.
Our movement is a continuation of that activism and community, showing everyone what’s possible when we all dig in and push for what we truly deserve. And what we deserve is a Boston where all of us are seen, heard, treasured, and valued – a Boston for everyone.
We’re ready for every child to go to a school connected to the full resources of our communities and their full potential; for every resident from the Forbes Building to Georgetown Homes to be protected from soaring rents and displacement; for a thriving Boston business community grounded in a thriving Black business community; for every Bostonian – every Bostonian experiencing homelessness, mental health, substance use, at Mass. Ave (Massachusetts Avenue) and Melnea Cass Boulevard and across our city and beyond to have dignity, treatment and housing.
We’re ready for every Bostonian to know that we don’t have to choose between generational change and keeping the streetlights on; between tackling big problems with bold solutions and filling our potholes; to make change at scale and at street level. We need, we deserve, both.
All of this is possible.
Todo esto es posible.
Tout cela est possible.
Zhe Xie Dou Ke Yi Cheng Wei Xian Shi.
We said these things are possible. And today, the voters of Boston said all these things are possible, too.
I want to be clear: It wasn’t my vision on the ballot, it was ours, together.
Over ten years in City Hall, and in every neighborhood, connecting with all of our residents, I’ve seen and experienced just how big an impact local government makes in people’s lives. And I’ll never stop fighting to make our systems work for all of us.
I came to this city as a homesick college kid. But as soon as I set foot on the Red Line to Chinatown, T token in hand, I knew I was home. Thank you, Boston.
To my family: thank you to my family: my husband, Conor; my two boys, Blaise and Cass; my mom; my sisters, Sherelle and Tori. Our whole family…you are my support system and a source of strength.
Mayor Janey, where is Mayor Janey? To Mayor Janey: my forever sister in service. Thank you for your friendship and partnership. Thank you for leading our city and blazing this trail.
Senator Elizabeth Warren: I will always fight hard because I learned persistence from you.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley: Your bold leadership…your bold leadership paved the way for me and so many others.
To the Menino family, my former boss Mayor Menino and Mrs. Angela Menino, whose support has been incredibly humbling. To the many in that family – to uncle Frank, who opened doors for me, thank you so much.
To the courageous candidates who joined me in this historic race, Councilor Essaibi George, who fought hard throughout this entire campaign, thank you for your service.
Councilor Andrea Campbell, John Barros, Representative Jon Santiago: Thank you for elevating so many voices in our neighborhoods.
And to the many community leaders, elected officials, labor unions, climate groups, democratic ward committees, every organization who supported us along the way: Thank you so much for all that you do for the city and for powering our movement.
And to the whole Wu train…especially this incredible staff who have put in so much day after day, hour by hour, up until the last second to represent all of our communities to make sure we were all part of shaping this future: For 414 days, you built an effort from the grassroots up. We built neighborhood teams into small families. We reached into immigrant communities and communities across the city in every language. We moved every generation into this work. Wu train: You canvassed, you texted, you called, you knocked on doors, and you showed yet again in Boston that anything is possible when we do it together.
And although we put in a lot of work to get to this day, our movement does not end here. We have a lot of work to do. So let’s dig in.
Over the next two weeks and well beyond, we will work with Mayor Janey’s team to ensure we’re ready to hit the ground running on November the 16th. This will be…this will be a huge team effort and we’re not going to get this done by sitting in a corner office at City Hall, but by bringing City Hall to every block, every street, every neighborhood. Because if we truly want to deliver change, we need every one of us shaping our future.
Thank you for placing your trust in me to serve as the next mayor of Boston. So…so let’s celebrate tonight, and tomorrow, we’ll continue the work together.
Thank you, everyone.
吴弭竞选演讲中国网友评论：
翻译过程中顺便去仔细了解了这位波士顿新市长吴弭（Michelle Wu），发现她之前的经历也非常有趣。她之前是波士顿市议员，后来因为工作太忙，就连分娩也是在办公室进行的。然后在孩子出生以后，她深感一般雇员的职场压力之大，立刻撰写了一份带薪育儿假条例，其中提出为波士顿市雇员提供六周的带薪育儿假，波士顿议会后来也通过了。– 百度网友
一个华人在美国，假如ta凭能力找到了一份薪酬可观的工作，我认为这是合情合理；假如ta凭勤奋考入了知名的大学深造，我认为这是天道酬勤；假如ta凭实干发明发现了现一些瞩目的成就，我认为这是踏实有为;假如ta不知怎的拿到了美国军方实验室的offer，我心下一凉，觉得这人大概率有问题；假如ta进入了美国行政系统，不要犹豫或错愕，毫无疑问，ta的道路己然与我们背道而驰。只要记住，美国绝不是傻子。- – B站网友
