Shahana Hanif @shahanafrombk was born on February 5, 1991 in Kensington Brooklyn to Bangladeshi-American parents. After completing high school, she went on to study at Brooklyn College where she graduated with a BA. When she was 17 years old, she was diagnosed with lupus, and her struggle with accessing healthcare for her chronic conditions is what pushed her into advocacy and community organizing. In 2017, she began working for Councilman Brad Lander as his liaison to the Bangladeshi community before moving in to the position of Director of Organizing and Community Engagement. After two years working with the Councilman, Shahana announced her intention to run for the position Lander was promoted to the City Comptroller office. She won the June 2021 Democratic primary, facing off against six other candidates and one other leftist. She was backed by the Working Families Party and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed both her and Brandon West, the other left-wing politician. Shahana won the primary with a 57-43% lead and declared victory on 3 July. On November 2, she won the general election for the 39th District City Council Race becoming the first Muslim woman to serve on the council and among the council’s first South Asians.