“The work being done by Boston Arts Academy Foundation is critical towards the advancement of arts and academic education in our city. Champion Reception is a great example of how our community leaders can come together to support the highly talented and creative students at Boston Arts Academy. 

I am honored to be recognized as a champion for our community and will continue to be a champion for the arts and our youth.” 

- Mayor Kim Janey

About Mayor Janey: 

Each year, BAA Foundation recognizes individuals who embody Boston Arts Academy's commitment to the arts, scholarship, and citizenship with the prestigious Champion Award. Former Mayor Janey is 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 introduced a citywide agenda of recovery and reopening, focusing on health and wellness while elevating arts and culture. Janey started the “Joy Agenda,” a city-wide program that featured investment in recovery and renewal through supporting arts and culture workers, local small businesses, and youth. Currently, Mayor Janey is President and CEO of the Boston-based nonprofit, Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath).

Supporter of the Arts:

A proud fourth-generation Roxbury resident, Mayor Janey comes from a long line of educators, entrepreneurs, artists, and advocates. In 2021 Mayor Janey spoke with Create The Vote Boston on her connection to the arts: “The arts have been all around me in my family my whole life,” Janey said. It’s one reason why she counts artists as “essential workers” alongside medical providers, police officers, fire fighters, and food service workers. According to Janey, her family instilled in her a deep appreciation of art, creativity, and public performance.

Join us on Thursday, March 16 from 5pm-7pm at the House of Blues as we honor Mayor Wu and Mayor Janey as two female leaders and trailblazers in the Commonwealth, during Women's History Month!

Email cdurkin@baafdn.​org to get involved.