'We cannot go back to normal': Boston's Mayor Kim Janey sees a mandate for racial equity in post-Covid era

For 200 years, Boston has been led by an unbroken string of White men -- until now. Kim Janey, a Black woman who traces her roots in the city back generations, and even further to ancestors who fled slavery in the South, is now the city's mayor.

Janey's ascension to the role leading one of America's oldest cities seems the result of a series of fortuitous events. She was first elected to her city council seat in 2017 but went on to become City Council president. She is now acting Boston mayor because President Joe Biden tapped Marty Walsh to serve in his administration. But it comes at a time when the nation is grappling more directly with race and equity issues than it has in decades. And this shift could finally usher in a new era for this city -- which is already majority-minority -- that appears poised to be led by someone who reflects its increasing diverse population.