Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Ari Avidar (212) 788-2963
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani welcomed members of the City's Asian communities to City Hall this evening to celebrate the Asian Lunar New Year. This Lunar Year -- 4695 -- is known as The Year of the Ox .
The Mayor was joined by Nora Chang Wang, Commissioner of the City's Department of Employment, Ben Limb, President of the Asian American Bar Association, Angelica Tang, Director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, and other prominent members of New York's Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese communities. The Mayor also presented a Proclamation officially declaring the Lunar New Year in New York City.
"The Lunar New Year is no longer just a celebration of our Asian community, but has become an important event on the calendars of all New Yorkers," Mayor Giuliani said. "One of the wonderful aspects of life in New York is to have the opportunity to explore and share the variety of cultural and ethnic traditions that have flourished here."
"As one of the City's most important immigrant communities, Asian-Americans have made outstanding contributions to New York through hard work and through their dedication to a better life," the Mayor continued. "In fact, the Asian immigrant population has constantly rejuvenated our economy and renewed the cultural diversity of our City."
Entertainment was provided by the Binari-Korean American Cultural Troupe which played a musical selection and then presented BokJoRi, a Symbol of Good Fortune.
Other prominent guests in attendance included David Tsui, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Karen Tam, a representative of the Singapore Mission to the United Nations, Les Goldberg, Vice-President of American Express and Linda Gras, Director of the Commission for International Business.