Bangladeshi-origin Shahana Hanif elected to NYC Council as first Muslim woman
Shahana Hanif Twitter
Tribune Desk
Publish : 03 Nov 2021, 12:11 PMUpdate : 03 Nov 2021, 12:11 PM
Bangladeshi-American Shahana Hanif has become the first Muslim woman elected to the City Council in New York City, a global beacon that attracts a varied population from all over the world.
A former City Council employee, Hanif was elected to a Brooklyn district that includes Park Slope, Kensington, and sections of central Brooklyn on Tuesday, reports the New York Times.
A person of South Asian heritage — especially a Muslim woman — has never served on the City Council. The city has an estimated 769,000 Muslims.
Hanif was one of two South Asian candidates who made history by winning; the other, Shekar Krishnan, was elected to represent Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens.
A third South Asian candidate, Felicia Singh, lost to her Republican opponent in a carefully watched Queens race.
Hanif said she was "humbled and proud" to be the first Muslim woman on the Council — and the first woman of any faith to represent District 39 — in a statement released Tuesday night.
She acknowledged community and progressive group volunteers and endorsements, notably the left-leaning Working Families Party.
“Together we are building an anti-racist, feminist city,” she said.
"We deserve a city that protects its most vulnerable residents, a city that provides fair education, a city that invests in local and community-driven climate solutions, and a city where our immigrant neighbors feel welcome, heard, and protected. Even if the election is done, this task demands all of us to keep turning up."
Next year, the City Council will include the first openly gay Black woman: Kristin Richardson Jordan scored an overwhelming victory in a Harlem district, as did Crystal Hudson in a Brooklyn district that encompasses parts of Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Tiffany Cabán in Queens was one of several LGBTQ candidates who won. Chi Ossé in Brooklyn and Erik Bottcher in Manhattan had won their races without being challenged. In Queens, Lynn Schulman was projected to gain a seat.
The candidates are part of a bigger movement in the Metropolis Council of New York, which is expected to be nearly as diverse as the city it represents next year. For the first time in history, more than two dozen women are poised to take a majority of the seats on the Council.
Bangladeshi-origin Shahana Hanif elected to NYC Council as first Muslim woman
Bangladeshi-American Shahana Hanif has become the first Muslim woman elected to the City Council in New York City, a global beacon that attracts a varied population from all over the world.
A former City Council employee, Hanif was elected to a Brooklyn district that includes Park Slope, Kensington, and sections of central Brooklyn on Tuesday, reports the New York Times.
A person of South Asian heritage — especially a Muslim woman — has never served on the City Council. The city has an estimated 769,000 Muslims.
Hanif was one of two South Asian candidates who made history by winning; the other, Shekar Krishnan, was elected to represent Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens.
A third South Asian candidate, Felicia Singh, lost to her Republican opponent in a carefully watched Queens race.
Hanif said she was "humbled and proud" to be the first Muslim woman on the Council — and the first woman of any faith to represent District 39 — in a statement released Tuesday night.
She acknowledged community and progressive group volunteers and endorsements, notably the left-leaning Working Families Party.
“Together we are building an anti-racist, feminist city,” she said.
"We deserve a city that protects its most vulnerable residents, a city that provides fair education, a city that invests in local and community-driven climate solutions, and a city where our immigrant neighbors feel welcome, heard, and protected. Even if the election is done, this task demands all of us to keep turning up."
Next year, the City Council will include the first openly gay Black woman: Kristin Richardson Jordan scored an overwhelming victory in a Harlem district, as did Crystal Hudson in a Brooklyn district that encompasses parts of Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Tiffany Cabán in Queens was one of several LGBTQ candidates who won. Chi Ossé in Brooklyn and Erik Bottcher in Manhattan had won their races without being challenged. In Queens, Lynn Schulman was projected to gain a seat.
The candidates are part of a bigger movement in the Metropolis Council of New York, which is expected to be nearly as diverse as the city it represents next year. For the first time in history, more than two dozen women are poised to take a majority of the seats on the Council.