Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts Reception Celebrating Nowruz

March 25, 2025

Video available at: https://youtu.be/gL_ukLoVbXI

Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy, Communications: Thank you. Thank you to the Mayor's Office of Special Projects and Community Events and Betty Emamian for helping put this reception together. And thank you to all our community leaders, advocates, and guests for donating to tonight's event and joining us to celebrate Nowruz. 

First, I want to welcome up to the stage two people who are invaluable to our operations in the Mayor's Office, Leila Bozorg. Leila is the executive director of Housing for our entire city and is helping ensure we build more housing across the five boroughs. Like her last name says, she's doing big things and she's a big part of the Persian community here. So thanks. I also want to welcome up Sophie Askari. Sophie was an intern of ours in year one and we hired her last year as a press assistant in my office. So thank you so much for everything you do, Sophie. We really appreciate it. 

So this month in cities from New York to Tehran, in countries from India to Afghanistan, hundreds of millions of people are saluting the start of a new season and the beginning of a new year. They're cleaning their homes and arranging their half scenes. They're cooking their kuku sabzi and lighting their fireworks and they're coming together to celebrate Nowruz. Among those hundreds of millions are my parents and my family, some of whom are here tonight. 

My mother was born in Iraq and my father was born in Iran. For generations, their families have been persecuted for their faith, for their heritage, for their history and for their religion. They've been persecuted for being Jewish. So after meeting in Tehran five decades ago, over five decades ago, my parents immigrated to the United States, seeking that same story, [an] ideal that has drawn millions of people to the harbor just behind us, the American dream. They came here in search of opportunity and equality, a better life for themselves and their children. They believe that in America, those could be more than just ideals on paper and that through hard work, long days and late nights, they could lay the foundation for a new life in a new country. And they were right. 

But despite leaving the Middle East, my parents did not leave behind their culture or their values. Quite the opposite. They honored our community and raised us in the tradition of our Persian heritage. They taught us the meaning of celebrations like Nowruz, spoke to us in both Farsi and English. And I can still vividly remember the smell of charcoal on Sunday nights as my father made chelow kebab. But it was not always easy. We did not always see the culture reflected in the world around us. And growing up, I never saw anyone of Persian descent elected or appointed to office here in America. 

But in a profound vindication of my parents' dreams and the ideals they came here to pursue, I have the pleasure of standing on this stage tonight as a deputy mayor in the greatest city in the world. And I have the privilege of serving under the mayor of New York City and our host this evening, Mayor Eric Adams. I can tell you honestly that this mayor has honored and uplifted the Persian community and the entire Middle Eastern community more than any mayor before him. 

From historic appointments like my own to celebrations like this one tonight, Mayor Adams has put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our administration. And we all owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for it. So in the spirit of Nowruz, I'll invoke the lyrics of the Persian poet Rumi, who once said, when you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you. Joy. 

That is how I and so many others in our administration feel not only to be here celebrating our culture tonight, but to help lead this extraordinary city every single day. It's a joy to uplift our public servants and tell their stories. It's a joy to have a part of bringing the city back from the pandemic and the recession to a new period of renewal and resurgence. And it's a joy to help make this city safer, cleaner, more affordable, and stronger every single day for generations of families to come. 

The man I am about to introduce leads the city from his soul, and I know he feels a river moving in him when he does it because we've spoken about it one-on-one on numerous occasions. So please join me in welcoming the 110th mayor of New York City, Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much. An amazing, amazing crowd. And, you know, I think that when you think about it, I remember when Deputy Mayor Levy was appointed to be the first Persian deputy mayor in the City of New York. We sat in the room and his family came in and he talked about your journey and he talked about what it means to be from the Persian community and what it means and the struggles. 

Sometimes when people reflect on their own struggles, they don't know that there are other chapters in that book and that others have gone through very difficult times, leaving persecution and prosecution to make their way here in this city and bring not only their commitment to the American dream, but their love and their compassion for what this country has to offer. 

And one of the, I think, the challenges that we face is we have to unlock our stories that we all could appreciate it because if you look under the fingernail of every ethnic group in this country, you'll see that families have climbed up the mountain of opportunity one hand at a time to participate in the American dream. This is the greatest country on the globe, the greatest city on the globe [and that’s] because we're made up of the greatest cultures on the globe. 

It's the combination of all of our cultures that create this great experience that we call the American experience. And notice in America, you are not called American Azerbaijan, you're not called American Uzbekistan, you're not called American Kazakhstan. No, America says you put your country first. You first put your country and then you add it to the American experience. 

America said don't you dare leave your culture behind because you are here. You're supposed to bring that culture and the experience that you know and your narrative makes up the American story and what it represents. So we're proud to be here. You grace us with your presence and we're going to continue to build on our diversity and what we do. 

And the men and women here from West Point who protect the soil that holds the tree of prosperity, we want to say thank you and our men and women of the Police Department. And to all of our dignitaries that are here participating in this program. You are here in Gracie Mansion, the people's house and your presence means so much and what Nowruz means to you, it means to us as well. 

It's an uplift, the holidays, it's a universal message of growth, renewal, and love. Growth, renewal, and love. And the Persian community has a rich history filled with early writings and precious artifacts. Just like our city, your heritage is a combination of old and new. I remember being in Baku and seeing all of the old lives that are there. I look forward to traveling to all of your countries as we celebrate what you have brought to this country. 

This celebration symbolizes the community of your culture which has endured over thousands of years. Think about that. Thousands of years in the history that is wrapped up in your countries in the significance of what your country represents. 

So from Iran, to Azerbaijan, to Afghanistan, to Kyrgyzstan, to Tajikistan, to Uzbekistan, you stand for something great and you represent what is great. We appreciate your values, your delicious food, your commitment to making the city better, and we are fortunate to have you here in New York City. 

Let this celebration of Spring bloom a new season of hope and unity. A new season that bears the fruit of friendship and peace for all across the city. I look forward to celebrating with you tonight and just continue to thank you for your contribution in business, in government, and building our city. 

Let's continue to be great as we move forward. I want to bring on my good friend Betty [and] you don't get a more proud Persian. I believe I was the first mayor to march in the Persian parade. So that makes me an honorary Persian. I'm an honorary Persian. 

Her organizing and her commitment at the parade and she just brings that energy that is needed and the pride that she has to continue to uplift the community. This is only the beginning. Continue to grow, continue to prosper, continue to uplift this great city. So Betty, I want to turn it over to you for our honorees. Thank you.