Photo Courtesy of nbcboston.com
Janey was born in Roxbury, MA, and started her career early as a longtime educator and non-profit leader. According to mayorjaney.com, “In 2017 she was elected to the Boston City Council in a historic election, becoming the first woman to represent District 7.” She also became President of the most diverse City council in Boston history in 2020; leading her to become the first black female to become the mayor of Boston.
Kim came from a long line of educators, advocates, artists, and entrepreneurs. Her great grandfather Daniel Benjamin Janey was an active member of the Twelfth Baptist Church. It is noted that Dr. King was there while he attended Boston University. Cliff Janey, Kim Janey’s father grew up in Orchard Projects and was one of eight Black students who graduated from Boston Latin School in 1964.
While Janey was receiving her own education, she would take rides on the bus and often have rocks and racial slurs thrown at her. She later attended Reading Public School through the METCO program becoming one of two black students in her graduating class; all while she was living with her great grandmother in South End.
Kim became a mother at the age of 16 years old like her mother to her daughter Kimesha Janey. Kim Janey knows the struggles that young single mothers go through as she had to live in a Section 8 apartment, work multiple jobs while taking care of Kimesha. MayorJaney.com reported, “As a young mom, Kim began her advocacy on behalf of children when she recognized that her own experiences were interconnected with the experiences of other children. Her experience of being a teen mom having to fight for her daughter, paired with her family’s history of activism, made Kim a passionate advocate for equity in education for all families.”
Before running for office, Janey spent the last 20 years working for the community to make change. She started by organizing for early education and childcare. “She joined Massachusetts Advocates for Children, where she led efforts to advocate for systemic policy reforms that would ensure equity and excellence in education for students in Boston Public Schools,” mayorjaney.com reported. She helped by eliminating the achievement and opportunity gap between immigrant children, children of color, students who are beginning to learn English, and children with special needs.
In 2014, Janey organized parents to successfully advocate for a new dual-language school. This helped write “the 2016 BPS policy on closing the opportunity and achievement gaps, and supported students at Boston Latin School in advocating for greater diversity in Boston’s exam schools." Mayorjaney.com reported. In 2017, she was elected to the City Council after winning the 13-candidate race and she was the first woman to represent District 7, which includes Fenway, South End, and Dorchester. It does not stop there when Kim Janey sponsored “... hearings on issues ranging from displacement and gentrification to teacher diversity in Boston Public Schools.” mayorjaney.com
In 2019, Kim Janey according to mayojaney.com, “during her first term on the Boston City Council, she authored groundbreaking legislation to equitably regulate cannabis in the City of Boston. Her ordinance prioritizes companies with diverse ownership from communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs and ensures equity, transparency, and accountability.” Kim Janey in 2020 became the President of the most diverse City Councils in Boston history and at the same time being the third woman of color in succession to lead the body.
As City Council President, she has faced two big challenges: one being the Covid-19 pandemic and the other being the reckoning of racial injustices. “She advocated for rental relief, eviction protections, and food access to protect our most vulnerable communities, help small businesses, and to shine a light on the virus’s disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx communities.” mayorjaney.com
When Kim Janey became mayor, her number one goal was to lead Boston to Covid recovery in a timely manner by getting the vaccine distributed and to get children back in schools, and to focus on the communities who were largely impacted by the pandemic.
As Mayor, Janey is committed to maintain stability in city services, help Boston recover from the pandemic, and make sure that no community is left out when it comes to economic recovery.
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