Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts Caribbean American Heritage Reception

June 30, 2025

Mayor Eric Adams: Wow, look, you know, we have had several heritage events here this year. No one has been as large as this one. Look at this event here, coming out, celebrating our Caribbean heritage and what it stands for and what you have represented in the city for so long. 

Everything from small businesses, hospital workers, educators, to your law enforcement community that's here, they really show out and come and show their support. It means so much when we do this each year, and this is almost a precursor to when we go and do our celebration on the Parkway for the largest, largest Caribbean celebration during the Labor Day weekend. 

And I look forward to that from the days of borough president to state senator and to my days of being in the Police Department. So we want to come out here to lift up the Caribbean community and say, “Thank you.”

Your contributions, your dedication, your commitment from all corners of the globe. I'm not even going to start calling out any islands because that's how you get in trouble. So you know, I'm just going to say thank you to all of you. 

We want to honor some people who have given back to the city and we want to really ask you to show them some love as we bring them up and give them their flowers while they're here with us. 

So I'm going to turn it over back to Lamona. Lamona, you want to do it? Hazra, come here. Hazra has been doing this since my days as borough president, and now she's here doing it here in Gracie Mansion. 

You grace us with your presence for being here [and to] my Caribbean liaison and what she's doing throughout this city. Thank you, Commissioner Knight as well. So let's honor some folks. 

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