BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Kim Janey made history Wednesday as she became the first woman and first Black mayor of Boston.
This comes after the U.S. Senate confirmed Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor on Monday evening.
Janey was in her second year as Boston City Council president before President Joe Biden tapped Walsh for his cabinet.
The Roxbury native became the city’s 55th mayor and was sworn in at City Hall.
"To think that my teenage grandsons were born at a time when there never had been a black person on our city council," Janey said at Wednesday’s ceremony. "Today is a new day. I stand before you as the first woman and the first Black mayor of Boston -- a city that I love," Janey said.
Chief Justice Kimberly Budd, the first Black woman to lead the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, administered the oath of office.
Janey emphasized in her address that as mayor, she will work vigorously to decrease the achievement gap in schools and lead the implementation of police reform in the city.
Janey introduced herself as mayor on Twitter:
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who was the first Black woman to serve on Boston's City Council, spoke at Wednesday's ceremony, to congratulate Walsh on moving to the cabinet.
She also said Janey "will lead with clear eyes, a full heart and steady hand."
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal (@KarynRegal) was at the ceremony:
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Written by Edyn Jensen
(Photo: WBZ NewsRadio/Karyn Regal)