Kim Michelle Janey was the 55th Mayor of the City of Boston and has been at the center of the City’s history — the bad and the good. At 11 years old, she was on the front lines of the battle to desegregate the City’s schools, facing rocks and racial slurs during Boston’s tumultuous busing era in the 1970s. Forty-five years later, she made history when she was sworn in as Boston’s first woman and first Black mayor, successfully leading the City through a multitude of unprecedented challenges, including the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Mayor Janey began her tenure with a citywide agenda of recovery, reopening, and renewal to address systemic inequities exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic. Mayor Janey successfully re-opened Boston’s economy and its public schools by centering equity and prioritizing health and wellness. She curbed displacement with her housing agenda and her safety plan led to a significant reduction in the city’s homicides. Under Mayor Janey’s leadership, Boston became one of the most vaccinated big cities in America. 

 

Prior to becoming Mayor, Kim Janey made history in 2017 when she was elected to the Boston City Council as the first woman to represent District 7. In 2020, she was elected by her peers to serve as President of the most diverse City Council in Boston’s history.

 

Devoting her life to public service, Mayor Janey has 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. In her role at Massachusetts Advocates for Children, she championed systemic policy reforms to increase equity, excellence, access, and opportunity in Boston Public Schools. Prior to that, Mayor Janey worked as a Community Organizer, advocating for affordable, quality child care.

 

In 2021, Mayor Janey was named one of Boston’s Most Impactful Black Women and listed in Boston Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Bostonians. She has been recognized for her years of service with a number of awards, including the Boston NAACP Difference Maker Award in 2015 and the Sapphire Award in 2017. 

 

A proud fourth-generation Roxbury resident, Mayor Janey comes from a long line of educators, entrepreneurs, artists, and advocates. Mayor Janey was raised with values that guide her to this day: the importance of education, the power of community organizing, and the fundamental principles of equity and justice.