Tania Fernandes Anderson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tania Fernandes Anderson
Fernandes Anderson in 2023
Member of the Boston City Council from the 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2022
Preceded by	Kim Janey
Personal details
Born	(1979-01-04) January 4, 1979 (age 46) Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Roxbury, Boston
Website	Campaign website

Tania Fernandes Anderson, born on January 4, 1979, is an American politician who was born in Cape Verde. She served as a member of the Boston City Council, representing the 7th district, starting in 2022. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She was first elected in 2021 to take over from Kim Janey. Her district included parts of Roxbury, Dorchester, and the South End. She was the first person who practices Muslim faith and the first person who came to the U.S. as a child without official papers to be elected to the Council.

In December 2024, she faced serious charges from the government. In April 2025, she agreed to step down from the council and accept responsibility for the charges. She officially resigned from the council in June 2025, with her resignation becoming effective after July 4, 2025.

Early Life and Community Work

Fernandes Anderson was born in Praia, Cape Verde. She moved to the United States when she was ten years old and settled in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. She finished high school at John D. O'Bryant High School. For some time, she lived in the U.S. without official documents.

She worked as the executive director of Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets. This is a non-profit organization that helps small businesses in the community. In 2019, Fernandes Anderson became an American citizen.

Serving on the Boston City Council

Fernandes Anderson was elected in November 2021 and started her term in January 2022. She was known for speaking up for people in the city who often felt left out.

She was the first Muslim person, the first immigrant from Africa, and the first former undocumented immigrant to serve on the city council. She represented the seventh district. This district covers large parts of the Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods. It also includes smaller parts of the South End and Fenway neighborhoods.

First Term (2022–2023)

Changes to the City Budget

During her first term, Fernandes Anderson led the Ways and Means Committee. This committee is very important because it deals with the city's budget. This leadership role is considered powerful. However, some people felt she struggled with the responsibilities of the role. Later, her fellow council members removed her from this leadership position.

In June 2023, the city council voted to approve the city's budget for the next year. The committee had made several changes to this budget. Many of these changes were criticized by other council members. Mayor Michelle Wu disagreed with many of the budget changes and stopped them. These changes included less money for the city's Veterans Services office and the police department. There were also changes that would have reduced funding for the Transportation Department, Public Works Department, and the Boston Public Library.

After the Mayor stopped these changes, the city council tried to overrule her decisions. However, they only succeeded in overruling one of the Mayor's decisions. Fernandes Anderson said she was not responsible for some of the more controversial cuts. Another councilor, Erin Murphy, said that Fernandes Anderson, as the committee chair, had the final say on which changes would move forward.

Discussions on Global Events

Fernandes Anderson spoke often about the conflict in Gaza. In October 2023, during a city council meeting, she asked for the release of hostages and an immediate stop to fighting by both sides. She also introduced a resolution asking for peace. Some people criticized her for how she described the initial attack in her resolution. Other councilors did not want to vote on her resolution right away.

In December 2023, Fernandes Anderson gave an award, supposedly from the entire city council, to two students. The award praised them for organizing a student walkout in Boston schools to support Palestine. The students then spoke at the meeting. Many councilors said they were surprised by the award and the presentation. Council President Ed Flynn said that Fernandes Anderson had not told him accurately what the award and presentation were about. He said he would not have agreed if he had known.

Other Important Decisions

In June 2022, the Boston City Council agreed to a resolution that Fernandes Anderson helped introduce. This resolution apologized for Boston's past involvement in the Atlantic slave trade. The vote was unanimous.

In October 2022, Fernandes Anderson suggested a resolution to create "Boston's Hijab Day." This was to honor Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in Iran. Amini had been arrested for how she wore her hijab. Fernandes Anderson wanted the resolution to support "the freedom of women's self-expression to cover or not cover their hair." Her idea received attention from around the world. Some people criticized her choice of the name "Hijab Day" to remember Amini. The council decided not to use this name. Instead, they agreed to a different resolution. This resolution now marks September 23, Amini's birthday, as the "Day of Woman, Life and Freedom".

Second Term (2024–Present)

Fernandes Anderson was reelected in November 2023. She won against Althea Garrison. At the start of the new council term on January 1, 2024, when Mayor Michelle Wu was giving the oath of office, Fernandes Anderson did not raise her hand or say the oath out loud. A video of this became very popular online. She explained that she had said the oath privately in her heart. She called the comments about it "anti-immigrant racist."

However, Boston's city rules require councilors to say their oath out loud to serve. Because of this, Mayor Wu and the city government said that Anderson's time on the council had stopped. They also changed city records to remove her vote for the new council president. Fernandes Anderson was able to return to her role as a city councilor after she took her oath on January 4, 2024.

In her second term, Fernandes Anderson led the council's Arts Committee and Civil Rights Committee. In February 2024, she asked for a meeting to discuss if Boston should charge a fee for cars to enter the city. She thought this could help with traffic problems. In November 2024, she supported a resolution that suggested the city's election department should be managed by the state. However, she did not vote on it in the end.

On August 2, 2023, Fernandes Anderson was robbed in an area of Boston known as Mass. and Cass. A man took her cell phone while she was looking at an area where homeless people lived. Police found her phone and returned it. Fernandes Anderson later criticized the Boston Police for sharing details of the incident. She also criticized the media for reporting on it.

Resignation from the Council

After Fernandes Anderson faced federal charges in December 2024, Mayor Wu and several other council members asked her to resign. She did not resign right away. However, in early April 2025, Fernandes Anderson announced that she had agreed to resign as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors. She signed this agreement on April 7, 2025.

Fernandes Anderson did not resign immediately after her announcement. She attended the next council meeting. The Council President asked for clarification on whether the council could remove Fernandes Anderson from office. The city's legal team said they could not remove her until after her official sentencing. In mid-June 2025, Fernandes Anderson submitted her resignation. It became effective after July 4, 2025.

Eleven people have signed up to run for Fernandes Anderson's seat in the next city council election in November 2025. No special election is planned before then. City officials hope that the winner of the November election can start serving right away. This would prevent the seat from being empty until January.

Personal Life

Fernandes Anderson has been a foster mother to 17 children. In a 2023 council meeting, she mentioned that one of her sons served in the United States Marine Corps. Fernandes Anderson practices the Sunni Muslim faith.

Election Results