Indian-American Attorney First LGBTQ Woman Of Colour To Take Oath As US City Council Member

Ramachandran took the oath of office as Oakland City Council member for District 4 while dressed in a saree.

California state assembly candidate Janani Ramachandran

Source : File Photo/Getty

New Delhi: Janani Ramachandran, a 30-year-old Indian-American attorney, became the youngest and first queer woman of color to swear in as Oakland City Council member in the state of California in the United States. In an inauguration ceremony on January 10, Ramachandran took the oath of office as Oakland City Council member for District 4 while dressed in a saree.

"WE WON! Honored to be the next City Councilmember for Oakland District 4!! I will officially be the youngest Council member in Oakland’s history, the 1st #LGBTQ woman of color & 1st South Asian to serve on Oakland City Council," the public interest attorney tweeted.

WE WON! Honored to be the next City Councilmember for Oakland District 4!! I will officially be the youngest Councilmember in Oakland’s history, the 1st #LGBTQ woman of color & 1st South Asian to serve on Oakland City Council. Thank you #TeamJanani for making history happen! pic.twitter.com/HBVLNqL1cZ

— Janani Ramachandran (@Janani4Oakland) November 11, 2022

"Immensely grateful for all those who believed in me and helped build our movement. Honored to have my loved ones by my side as I took the ceremonial oath!" she wrote on Twitter to express her gratitude. Ramachandran describes herself as "a daughter of immigrants from a small village in South India.

According to her website, Ramachandran has previously held the position of Commissioner at the City of Oakland Public Ethics Commission in addition to her current position on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.

The graduate of Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley has held positions in a number of legal charities.

According to her website, she shocked political experts by winning the special election runoff in her 2021 bid for State Assembly as a first-time candidate against a field of previously elected officials.