I know, I know; The election is over, why are we still talking about politics?
As much as I’m sure we’re all over the topic of U.S officials, I think we can all agree that Ms. Kim Janey, the first black woman to serve as the Mayor of Boston, is worth extending our time and attention to.
Yes, you read that right; The City of Boston will have a black woman serve in the Mayoral Office. As a part of the transition to the Biden-Harris Administration, Dorchester’s beloved Mayor Martin J. Walsh is headed to Washington D.C. to serve as the new Secretary of Labor, leaving his seat as the Mayor of Boston vacant. Enter Kim Janey, current President of Boston City Council, and by Boston City rule, the next acting Mayor. Having been selected as President of Boston City Council in January of last year, Kim Janey, 56, is no stranger to politics. Prior to this, Janey served as Boston City Councilor for District 7 since January of 2018.
Ms. Kim Janey was born, raised, and currently resides in Roxbury, MA. For those who don’t know, Roxbury is a majority black neighborhood in Boston, MA, having even been deemed the heart of black culture by the City of Boston website. As a resident of Boston, MA, and having spent my highschool years in Roxbury, MA, I can attest to the culture, but also the struggle.
Roxbury, MA is far from a white picket fence neighborhood. However, Ms. Kim Janey focused on the bigger picture and achieved it after attending Reading Public Schools through the METCO program and going on to Smith College for her collegiate years. Many achieve success to the degree they find it fitting to leave a rougher neighborhood for a suburb that suits their new financial, and social, position. What is remarkable about Ms. Janey is that rather than running and fleeing her neighborhood roots, she returned, and remains, with intentions to make a difference.
As a resident of Boston, MA, I can confidently say that Ms. Janey embodies everything that a woman from Roxbury is: determined, resilient, and loyal. Ms. Janey is a woman of many hats, but how many single mother’s do you know can also find the time to run for an official office? I’ll wait.
Ms. Janey is a woman who decided to water the soil from which she grew, and that alone makes me and many Boston residents both grateful and eager to see her serve as the Mayor of Boston.