First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright: Good morning, everyone!
Audience: Good morning!
First Deputy Mayor Wright: Good morning. I am First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and the first question I have for you: is Brownsville in the house?
All right, all right. I'm so proud and pleased to be a part of this amazing administration that is centering Brownsville and communities like Brownsville all over the city. Our mantra, at the direction of our mayor, is that crime must be down and jobs must be what?
Audience: Up.
First Deputy Mayor Wright: Crime is down and jobs are what?
Audience: Up!
First Deputy Mayor Wright: And we are very proud that we have really broken ceilings in terms of the number of private sector jobs that are now in New York City and the opportunities that are available to New Yorkers. But our mayor said that's not enough. There are communities across this city that have double‑digit unemployment, and those communities are predominantly Black and Brown.
And so what he charged us to do was to make sure that we invest and really engage fully all of our communities so that everyone has access to opportunity. And so today we are announcing an effort where we're doubling down and we're making sure that we really connect to the enormous immense talent that exists across our city and specifically in Black and Brown communities.
So, with that I want to introduce our 110th Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, Deputy Mayor Wright, and really want to thank the entire team that's part of this, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres‑Springer as well.
And you know, this is the home of my birth. And we were very clear and focused, and I remember many nights speaking with A.T. Mitchell and [inaudible] and many of the men and women that are part of our crisis management team that we needed a real full plan and operation that included not only making our city safe.
Brownsville for far too long, even when I was a child, was identified as a place where one could not be safe in a community with so many hard‑working class New Yorkers and Brooklynites. And we turned around the crime in this area because of the work of the crisis management team and the New York City Police Department, and we saw just unbelievable, unprecedented results.
People said it was not possible. We knew it was. And we were hearing from so many residents that they did not want to be identified as a place where you go and just live in despair, but a place where they could see everyday residents care for each other and they care for the children [in] the future. And we're seeing that success.
And nothing personifies that more than a job. A job is more than what we do in the a.m. hours of our lives, it's the precursor to sleep that allows us to experience the American Dream.
And there's so many barriers that prevent people from seeking and getting the employment, and we want to say no to that. You may have had a problem in your life where you may have stumbled but you did not fall to stay down. You can get back up because your mayor was arrested and now your mayor is the mayor of the City of New York because I got back up.
Your mayor has a learning disability, but your mayor was able to navigate that learning disability and become the mayor of the City of New York.
And so we're saying to all that are out here, we leave no one behind. We must succeed together. We cannot have full employment in parts of this city and have double digits or high [un]employment in Black and Brown communities because of the lack of access to employment.
That's what this initiative is about. You have a working class mayor that came from this community and stated we're going to provide you with the services you need. There have been too many exit ramps to prosperity, there needs to be entry ramps to prosperity.
And that's what this initiative is about. This is a bold initiative where we're not going to sit in a sterilized environment of City Hall or our other agencies and try to figure out the problem. We've got to get our asses on the ground.
We got to meet and talk with people. We got to interact and find out, what's the hurdle? What's the barrier? Why aren't you employed? We have thousands of jobs that are open in city government, everything from school safety agents, to entry level, to tech jobs. There are so many jobs that are open, but it's just too darned difficult to make that connection. And we have to make that connection more easier so people can feel welcomed and inviting to come and be employed.
Many of our elders that are here, you have loved ones, children, nieces, nephews, sons who have been unemployed for years. There are folks who have never been employed in this community. Just think about that for a moment, not feeling as though you are part of the prosperity in this city. We want to turn that around. That's the commitment that this administration has, and that's the commitment that we're going to move towards.
So, I want to say thank you to our team. We've been clear on our mission: public safety, revitalizing our economy and protecting our public spaces. Focus on it over and over again. And no matter what you're hearing, this city has turned around, folks. Jobs are up, crime is down. We're getting safer and safer every day. But you all must enjoy that prosperity. We're going to continue to deliver for our city and the residents of the city.
And the unfairness of the revitalization is what we're tackling today. That's what JobsNYC is about. We're bringing new opportunities to community across the five boroughs. I'm not a Manhattan centered mayor, I'm a five borough mayor. Many people may have forgotten, but I was the Brooklyn Borough President here in the borough of Brooklyn.
JobsNYC is a whole of government [of] effort to meet New Yorkers where they are, on the ground. We are kicking off hiring halls like this one across the five boroughs. We did hiring halls for city jobs, now we're adding hiring halls for private sector jobs as well. And we're going to connect New Yorkers to well‑paying public and private sector jobs.
Our all new jobs portal, jobs.nyc.gov. You can just go right on your phone, go to jobs.nyc.gov, and it will let you know what jobs are available. And it's an easy, navigable portal that you can use, and you should send it to your friends and family members, people who are looking for jobs as well.
All of this will build on an action we took last year to reform our minimum qualification requirements of certain entry‑level city jobs. We looked at some of the jobs that you needed a college degree for and we asked the question, why? Why do you?
You know, all of these creative barriers of keeping you out. There's more than one way to say you're not welcome, and you create these barriers, you know, that says you're not welcome. And we want to examine those jobs that people who went away and they're returning citizens are unable to get licenses for.
There's no reason that you should not be able to get a license for a particular job that has nothing to do with the crime that you committed. We have to find ways to remove the barriers.
Our people are our city's greatest asset, because we put talent and workforce development at center. Abby Jo Sigal is leading this effort and what she's doing in her agency to push this conversation forward. And our administration has made historic investments to help New Yorkers access the career and training opportunities that will lead to good paying jobs.
We've assured that the City of New York is one of the world's best employers by giving all of our union members the proper contracts that they deserve. 94 percent of our union members received the contract and we had 96, 97, 98 percent ratification levels where they voted to approve the contracts, giving them the pay that they deserve. So, these good city jobs are ready and they're available for you.
These efforts are making a real difference in the lives of working class New Yorkers, and today we have more private sector jobs than when we took office moving forward in the right direction. And we recovered all of the private sector jobs lost during the pandemic.
We're building an economy of the future with the real pathways to family sustaining jobs and careers. Last month, I announced our Green Economy Action Plan, all of this new stuff you're hearing about solar panels, battery storage, EVs— Electric Vehicles— all of those are jobs, jobs that have traditionally evaded us, but we can do those same jobs.
We did a $750 million investment in New York City's green economy to ensure New Yorkers can benefit from the 400,000 green collar jobs that will be created by 2040. And this is how we ensure all New Yorkers, particularly those in Black and Brown community are very much part of the jobs of the 21st century.
So, JobsNYC will help us recruit the next generation. It will show a city where opportunity reaches every borough, a city where everyone has access to a good career and job. And I cannot thank the team enough ‑‑ as I indicated, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres‑Springer, Ana Almanzar and Deputy Mayor Williams‑Isom, the dynamic deputy mayor team that is just getting it done every day.
Let's employ Brownsville. We lift up Brownsville, we lift up this city. And we know Brownsville is ready to be lifted up. Despairs are over. It's time to turn Brownsville into what we know it could become. Let's make it happen. Thank you very much.
First Deputy Mayor Wright: Thank you so much, Mayor Adams. And the dynamic deputy mayors that you have appointed. As you said, this is a whole of government approach, and A.T. Mitchell has been a key leader in this work across the city and really reinvesting in communities. And you also have, mayor, today our commissioner for Small Business Services Kevin Kim. Where are you at, Kevin? Yes. Commissioner of the DCAS, Dawn Pinnock, who is the mother of the hiring hall movement. We got, c'mon, give us some love!
Our Chief Business and Diversity Officer Michael Garner who makes sure we got $6 billion last year invested in MWBEs; and as you said, the executive director of the Mayor's Office of Talent and Workforce Development, Abby Jo Sigal. As well as many, many others. Again, this is a full agency approach, a full city approach.
And just to also add, the mayor has made clear, again, that we have to invest in communities like Brownsville. So, this community is really a target of massive investment, and every single school in Brownsville is getting additional resources to make sure young people are on the road to reading.
And yes, can we clap on that?
Every, we're accelerating affordable housing development in this community to really break records in terms of the amount of affordable housing that is developed as well as the rehabilitation to NYCHA in addition to many other investments.
And so one of our big partners in that effort is the Brownsville Community Justice Center. Can we get a round of applause for them?
An incredible nonprofit that has worked side by side with the city over many years to really do all the things that need doing. And in addition to those union contracts that the mayor mentioned, we also made a historic investment in our nonprofit workforce as well because we understand and appreciate how important they are.
So, next up, I'd like to invite Ionna Jimenez, the Project Director for Brownsville Community Justice Center, to say a few words.
Ionna Jimenez, Project Director, Brownsville Community Justice Center for Justice Innovation: Yes, thank you all so much.
First, I know the mayor knows this, but Brownsville has its own mantra. That's right. Brownsville, never ran, never will. And so we will never run from any opportunities that are presented here in Brownsville.
And so we, oh, Brownsville never ran, never will. We will never run from any opportunities that are presented here in the Brownsville community. So, I thank you.
I do want to emphasize the paramount importance of bringing job opportunities directly to Brownsville. At the Brownsville Community Justice Center, our mission revolves around enhancing public safety and empowering our young people by connecting them to career pathways tailored to their needs; ultimately, fostering a safer and more prosperous future for the Brownsville community.
We are profoundly grateful for the commitment of JobsNYC for being here today and providing all these opportunities directly at the footsteps of the Brownsville community. We understand that these opportunities come with [ease], we [are] trying to break down the barriers to access to these opportunities previously hindered their path to success.
So, thank you JobsNYC for recognizing the significance of empowering communities like ours and your unwavering commitment to making a tangible difference in the lives of our residents. Truly important work.
First Deputy Mayor Wright: Thank you so much. Now I think at this time, the mayor is going to do a bit of a tour to really, like you said, we're trying to make it easy. When you go in, you get screened, you get access to lots of opportunities from city agencies to private employers. There's an opportunity to be interviewed right now, today, and get hired on the spot.
And so, we are yes… yes, let's clap for that.
And so we are doing these all over the city, as the mayor said, in every single borough and in the neighborhoods and communities that have historically been left behind. So, I'm not sure, do we ask for any on‑topic questions; or, no? No. There we go. Okay, so thank you everybody! JobsNYC!