Kim Janey Becomes Boston’s First Black, First Female Mayor

Posted on by Donovan Bell-Farmer

Kim Janey will lead the Boston City Council as acting mayor and was officially sworn in on March 24th.

What We Know:

  • Janey will serve out the final year of Marty Walsh’s term as Boston City Council President. Marty Walsh had served as mayor of Boston since 2014 before President Joe Biden recently elected him to be Labor Secretary on his cabinet. The Labor Secretary’s job is to oversee the federal department in charge of workplace conditions, benefits, and rights. Walsh is a cancer survivor and was diagnosed with the disease when he was just seven years old.

 

  • Mayor Janey is a resident of Roxbury, and her family has lived there for six generations. Mayor Janey made history before in 2017 when she was elected to the Boston City Council as the first woman to represent district seven, which includes Roxbury. Janey had also won the Boston NAACP Difference Maker Award in 2015. In the years after, she has won the Sapphire Award in 2017 and was named one of Boston’s Most Impactful Black Women in 2021.
  • Janey will serve as acting mayor until the next mayoral race determines who the next Boston City Council leader will be. It will take place in November, and Janey hasn’t announced any interest to bid for a full four-year term as mayor.

” I come to this day with life experiences different from the men who come before me,” Mayor Janey said in a statement.

  • In middle school, Janey had rocks, and racial slurs tossed at her. She has history and experience due to her position at the Massachusetts Advocates for Children for many years. During her time at the organization, Janey focused on systemic policy reforms to increase equity, excellence, access, and opportunity in Boston Public Schools. Recently, Janey’s immediate priorities as acting mayor will be COVID-19/pandemic related. Additionally, she has plans to distribute vaccines effectively, return children to school safely and improve upon the city’s economic recovery plans.

Mayor Kim Janey is properly prepared to finish the rest of Marty Walsh’s tenure as Mayor of Boston.

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