For the first time ever, voters in Monroe County elected a woman of color to serve as a family court judge.

Fatimat Reid, Rochester City School’s chief of staff and veteran attorney, celebrated her victory at the Democratic party headquarters Wednesday.

A final tally of absentee ballots on Tuesday determined that Reid, who trailed by more than 1,000 votes, would surpass Nicole Bayly to win the seat by just 800 votes. She will accompany Republican Alecia Mazzo as a family court judge for the next 10 years.

Reid learned about her victory from her campaign manager. 

“She texted me and said ‘You Won’.  I'm not a big crier but I did scream and cry," Reid said. "The kids were frightened but I was just so overjoyed because I knew we were going to be victorious but just hearing those words finally it just felt really overwhelming."

While Fatimat was born in Brooklyn, she was raised in Nigeria. She said dealing with a language barrier and becoming a foster child in America motivated her to earn her way into making history.

It has been more than 30 years since an African American was elected to the bench as a family court judge.

“Your vote does count. Your vote does matter. Your vote can change atmosphere,” Reid said.

Reid hopes this historical win inspires others to believe they, too, can overcome adversity.