Shahana Hanif: Career Timeline
Education and Early Career
Hanif grew up in Kensington, Brooklyn, attending P.S. 230 and Bishop Kearney High School . She was diagnosed with lupus at age 17, which shaped her trajectory toward public service . After enrolling at Brooklyn College in 2009, she became involved in campus organizing through Students for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Students Association, and CAAAV . She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Women's and Gender Studies from Brooklyn College in 2015 . Following graduation, she traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh, to work with women-centered organizations .
Community Organizing and Council Staff Work
2015 to 2017: Worked as a tenants' rights organizer, gender justice organizer, and interfaith organizer in Brooklyn, building connections across immigrant communities .
2017: Joined the office of City Council Member Brad Lander as a liaison to the Bangladeshi community, later becoming Director of Organizing and Community Engagement .
2017 to 2021: Led grassroots initiatives in District 39 under Lander, including the Participatory Budgeting process, community engagement events, and partnership with CUNY Citizenship Now to provide immigration legal services .
Late 2019: Announced her intention to run for the City Council's 39th District seat following Lander's decision to run for City Comptroller .
First Term on the City Council
June 22, 2021: Won the Democratic primary in a seven-candidate field, defeating Brandon West and five other challengers through six rounds of ranked-choice voting with 57 percent of the final-round vote .
November 2, 2021: Won the general election with approximately 90 percent of the vote, defeating Libertarian Matthew Morgan and Conservative Brett Wynkoop .
January 1, 2022: Assumed office as the Council Member for District 39, becoming the first Muslim woman, first Bangladeshi American, and first woman of any kind to represent the district .
2022: Chaired the Committee on Immigration and served as co-chair of the Progressive Caucus alongside Lincoln Restler . Authored and passed Local Laws 75 and 76, expanding abortion rights protections and launching a national outreach campaign about reproductive rights .
2022: Voted to modify the Gowanus rezoning, reducing the maximum building size on a Ninth Street block, a decision that drew criticism from housing advocates .
April 2023: Was one of two Council members to vote against a resolution designating April 29 as End Jew Hatred Day, calling the resolution a far-right initiative .
October 2023: Arrested at a ceasefire rally in Midtown Manhattan alongside two staff members and over 130 other demonstrators, calling for Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to support a ceasefire in Gaza .
November 2, 2023: Secured passage of Local Law 161, the Immigrant Workers Bill of Rights, by a 43-8 Council vote .
2023: Passed Local Law 85, mandating universal residential composting across the city . Led passage of Resolution 550, designating May as Lupus Awareness Month in New York City .
Transition Between Terms
January 2024: Reelected as co-chair of the Progressive Caucus alongside Sandy Nurse; stripped of her Immigration Committee chairship in Speaker Adrienne Adams' committee reorganization and reassigned to co-chair the Task Force to Combat Hate .
2024: Passed Local Law 45, providing survivors of domestic violence with free lock changes, safety alarms, and door and window repairs . Endorsed the Leave It Blank campaign encouraging voters to submit blank ballots in the 2024 presidential primary as a protest of federal military support for Israel .
December 5, 2024: Voted in favor of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal, citing lessons learned from the Gowanus rezoning and the $5 billion City for All housing investment 16.
Second Term and Reelection
November 7, 2023: Won a special two-year reelection with no significant opposition, defeating Republican Arkadiusz T. Tomaszewski .
February 2025: Negotiated the Arrow Linen rezoning in Windsor Terrace, securing 100 affordable units with 40 percent affordability and a community benefits agreement limiting building height to 10 stories .
April 24, 2025: Passed the Affirm Act (Intro 1201-A), extending safe-harbor protections for gender-affirming care facilities as part of the Protect Trans Futures legislative package 19.
June 11, 2025: Introduced Intro 1303, expanding public awareness of fertility care and insurance coverage for fertility treatments .
June 24, 2025: Won the Democratic primary for a full four-year term with approximately 70 percent of first-choice votes, defeating Maya Kornberg (26 percent) and Nickie Kane (3.5 percent) .
November 4, 2025: Won the general election with approximately 86 percent of the total vote on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, defeating Conservative Brett Wynkoop, Libertarian Matthew Morgan, and Voters First candidate Nickie Kane .