Boston Councilor Files Resolution to Make Eid al-Fitr a City Municipal Holiday

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Boston councilor files resolution to name Eid al-Fitr a municipal holiday at city iftar. City Councilor Tania Fernandes-Anderson, who identifies as the first Muslim elected to the Boston City Council, announced at a July 19 Ramadan iftar hosted at Boston Public Schools that she had filed a resolution to recognize Eid al-Fitr as an official city holiday, saying "Inshallah, we get the council support, and it becomes official." Mayor Michelle Wu, also on hand, announced the city is advancing a proposal with the City Council to ensure newly arrived Afghan families and other immigrants have access to halal food. The event, co-organized by the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement under Director Yusufi Vali, included remarks from Sheikh Khalil Abdul Rashid of Harvard and the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, testimony from two Boston Public Schools students on observing Ramadan in school, and certificates of recognition presented by Wu and council members to eight organizations including ICNA Relief New England, the Somali Development Center, and the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center.