Transcript: Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks at Flag-Raising Ceremony for Peru

August 17, 2023

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, ambassador, your powerful words and acknowledging my other consul generals. This is the second year that we are raising the flag of Peru. It was something we were committed to doing when I became the mayor of the City of New York to show our diversity, which is our secret weapon, how we come from distance shores to participate in the greatness of this city and country. A country and a leader must be most importantly, they must be substantive and symbolic. The symbolism is raising the flag here at the heart of our financial district, right in front of the symbols of our strength in this country, but it's also substantive.

Many years ago, a young girl was born in Peru, came to America, navigating the challenges as she learned English. Little did she know she would meet up with a young man that was born in Brooklyn and later became the borough president and together they would climb the ladder to become the mayor of the most important city on the globe. I am just so proud of the person who has been at my side, was a Peruvian young lady, Gladys Miranda, just appreciate you so much. If you don't think you have power in City Hall, just talk to that Peruvian right there. She is the gatekeeper, makes sure who can come and who can't come in. She has just been a trusted friend and I just thank her so much for her service to the city in general, but specifically to me as mayor.

We all know with 70,000, 80,000 Peruvians here in the city, we are the Lima of America. We have one of the largest Peruvian population that's here. I remember visiting Machu Picchu and Lima and visiting other parts of the beautiful country of Peru and seeing the friendliness and the hardworking energy and spirit of the people of Peru. You brought that spirit and energy here to New York City. You are frontline workers. You are business owners. You believe in education and family. Like many of our immigrant population, you believe in public safety and the prosperity that we have to offer.

America's the only country on the globe where you're told to embrace your culture as you embrace your new homeland called America. That is our secret weapon. We're so proud of that and we're going to continue to uplift all groups in this country, even our new arrivals known as our asylum seekers and our migrants, everyone that pass through the Statue of Liberty, they do it for one call, so that they could be part of our American dream. Only country on the globe where dream is attached to its name. That's something great about this country. The precursor to that dream is the right to work.

We will continue to call on the national government to allow our asylum seekers and our migrants to have the right to work, to have the right to contribute to the greatness of this country. I thank you. My relationship and friendship with the ambassador goes back to my days as Brooklyn borough president. We've had a long relationship with Central America, our South American, our Latin American communities, and we're going to continue to build on that as we branch out. This has been a rich city of diversity from the Caribbean diaspora, the African diaspora, European, Southern diaspora. We've all enjoyed the specialness of this great country. Let's raise the flag as we look at 202 years of an anniversary fighting off shedding colonialism to live in free and in prosperity and independent.

We want to give this proclamation to the people of Peru. I am enormously proud to lead this city where more than 3.2 million immigrant New Yorkers who enhance the fabric of our culture, civic and economic life, Peruvian Americans have long strengthened the five boroughs, and they will continue to play a key role as we take bold steps to move our global city forward. Tonight's celebration is also an excellent opportunity to recognize the vast contributions of Peruvian New Yorkers to the five boroughs, and to commend the consul general of Peru for his dedication to supporting this vital community and strengthening the irrefutable bonds between Peru and New York City. Together we'll continue to work to ensure that the five boroughs remain inclusive and dynamic center of opportunity for all. I, Eric Adams, mayor of the City of New York, and honorary Peruvian, say thank you. Keep doing the great things you're doing. 

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