Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Addresses the United Nations General Assembly on Nelson Mandela International Day

July 18, 2022

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you Mr. President, Deputy Secretary General, Under Secretary General, Excellencies, and honored guests. Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. Also, I want to congratulate Nelson Mandela Prize laureates. This day is so important because today many people around the globe are in dark places. They don't see a future for themselves, their families, or our planet. They're serving a life sentence of despair and hopelessness. I have been to the Robben Island Prison where Nelson Mandela was in prison for 27 years. That small cell where he endured so much was a powerful sight. While he was in jail he knew that where he was not who he was. And Nelson Mandela went on to become the president of the country that imprisoned him. As he himself once said, "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

Mayor Adams: The freedom of others is what we must address now. The freedom to live a long and healthy life on this green and glorious Earth. The freedom to see all the world's children and grandchildren flourish, as well as generations to come. The freedom from wars, conquest, and brutal inequality. The freedom from the racism and bigotry in which so many of these crimes are committed. The freedom to live, work, and love in our own way according to our own choice. Freedom from want and freedom from fear. This world, a world that celebrates the human spirit instead of crushing it in the name of power, is possible. But no leader, however gifted or inspiring, can change the world alone. The people must be mobilized and political institutions must respond. We as leaders cannot fall back on excuses and inertia. When the people demand change. We must be inspired by the courage of Nelson Mandela, or Madiba, his given name. History cannot erase the 27 years he sacrificed in the name of freedom, but his example reminds us that the darkest times cannot quench our spirit or dim our hopes.

Mayor Adams: My mother once said to me, "If you find yourself in a dark place, you make the determination if this dark place is a burial or a planting." These dark times can and must be a planting. The ongoing crises of COVID, war, and crime have imprisoned us in our own Robben Island prisons. But these are temporary conditions, they're not life sentences. My own personal story is a reflection of that. I was dyslexic and denied support services as a child. I was arrested as a youth and felt rejected as a person. But I knew it was not the end, not a burial. And today I stand before you energized for all that I have endured on my journey, too. Each of us must challenge the humanistic spirit of fortitude and forgiveness as we rise to the challenges of our time. That Mandela-like energy will allow us to turn our pain into purpose. It will allow us to turn those dark places into the plantings we need to assure a harvest of hope, equity, and peace.

Mayor Adams: This planting means ending global poverty through sharing our worldwide wealth. It means giving Mother Earth the love she deserves by protecting our environment. It means affluent countries must share vaccines for all to help the spread of COVID-19. It means ending abuses against women and children across the globe. These tasks will not be easy. This is something we must focus on. The path is not straight, victory is not assured. But hidden in the shadows of Mandela’s story is our pathway forward. Must be courageous enough to examine the directions we are going and commit to doing the right thing. We must say to those who believe where they are is who they are, that they are all right, things can change. And that change cannot wait. You are husbands, wives, children, and members of this great race we call the human race. The work of planting must begin now with us. We must make sure the harvest feeds the hopes and dreams of all in the years to come. And New York City is ready to work with the world to make this future a reality. Long live the spirit of Madiba. Thank you.

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