Shahana Hanif: Biography
Early Life and Family Background
Shahana K. Hanif was born on February 5, 1991, in Brooklyn, New York, to Bangladeshi immigrant parents . She grew up in the Kensington neighborhood of Brooklyn, which is home to one of the largest Bangladeshi Muslim communities in the borough . Hanif was raised alongside her sisters in a household where her parents spoke limited English, an experience that would later inform her advocacy for language access and immigrant rights . She attended P.S. 230 in Kensington for her elementary education before enrolling at Bishop Kearney High School .
Health and Lupus Diagnosis
At the age of 17, as she entered her senior year of high school, Hanif was diagnosed with lupus, an incurable chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation throughout the body . Navigating the healthcare system with inadequate insurance and limited family resources became a formative experience for Hanif, one she has described as the catalyst for her commitment to community organizing and public service . She has cited her experience with lupus as her first window into disability justice and the challenges facing individuals who depend on an underfunded and inaccessible public health infrastructure .
Education
Hanif enrolled at Brooklyn College in 2009, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies in 2015 . During her time at the college, she participated in the Scholars Program and received a Marge Magner Stipend Award during the summer of 2015 . She became an active student leader, joining organizations including Students for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Students Association, and the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, known as CAAAV . Following her graduation, Hanif spent time in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where she worked with women-centered organizations focused on gender-based inequalities .
Community Organizing Career
Hanif built a career in community organizing before entering elected office. She served as a tenants' rights organizer, a gender justice organizer, and an interfaith organizer in Brooklyn . She served as co-director of Naree Shongothok: Bangladeshi Women Organizing for Social Change, a collective of second-generation Bangladeshi women activists . She also founded Bangla4Justice, a Bengali and Bangla resource for social justice translation and community organizing needs in New York City . She joined the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, known as CAAAV, where she advocated for immigrant communities and promoted language access initiatives . In 2017, Hanif began working for City Council Member Brad Lander, initially as a liaison to the Bangladeshi community and eventually as Director of Organizing and Community Engagement . In that role, she led grassroots initiatives including Participatory Budgeting, a process enabling residents to determine how city funds are allocated in their neighborhoods . During her tenure with Lander, she also helped a Bangladeshi woman escape a forced marriage, an experience she cited as a factor in her decision to run for office .
Personal Life
Hanif is married to Abdullah Younus . She has described herself as a cat mom and a first-generation Brooklynite whose identity is rooted in the Kensington neighborhood where she was raised . She identifies as a Muslim socialist and is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America .