Opinions | Black women have shaped politics in Boston for centuries Kabria Baumgartner New Boston City Council President Kim Janey at Boston City Hall on Jan. 6, 2020. Boston entered a new political frontier Monday, officially ushering in the most diverse City Council in the city s history and electing new leadership with what councilors said is a proactive agenda to tackle inequities in housing, transportation and education access. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe/Getty Images) At the end of February 2021, Kim Janey will probably vacate her position as president of the Boston City Council to become the city’s acting mayor. Should this happen, Janey will be only the second Black woman to lead a major city in New England and the first to do so in Boston. Janey, a Roxbury native, is well prepared for this role, given her decade-long experience as a community organizer and her work representing District Seven for the past three years. And importantly, she knows w