Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Hosts and Delivers Remarks at Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Celebration

September 9, 2022

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPiW_zkJd78

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you. Good to see you all here as we celebrate the Moon Festival. And to my colleagues in government: Linda Lee, City Council member; Sandra Ung, City Council member; Marjorie Velázquez, City Council member. And many of our other partners: Commissioner Kim; Harvey Epstein, Assembly member; Jenifer Rajkumar — where's Jenifer? Good to see you, Jenifer. Jenifer Rajkumar, our assemblywoman. And Lily Fan, the commissioner of New York State Liquor Authority, and just all of you. It's really good to see you. And it's something that Winnie Greco has done year after year, holding the Moon Festival and just bringing the community together. As we unite and fight together to deal with the real issues that's impacting all New Yorkers in general, but specifically to my AAPI community. We are really mobilized around some of the hate crimes that we have witnessed, as we continue to not only have a police response, but to have an education response.

This is the first year that we will be teaching AAPI studies in our school system to better educate our young people to the great contributions of the AAPI community. That is so important. But we also want to see you in government. We want to see you part of my administration. I'm proud to have Commissioner Kim, who's the first Korean American to head Small Business Services, something that's dear and important to you. I'm proud to continue to see the men and women of the AAPI community be part of my administration. You have been an ally and friend throughout my entire run for office and time in office. We want to now see you as part of the team of governing this city. And I say over and over again, I'm not a new friend to this community. I'm an old friend. We've been around each other through many battles and many struggles.

Now it's our time to make this city a city that appreciates our diversity and everything that we have to offer. And so just as this festival is a family way of coming together to give thanks to the new harvest, let it be a symbol to give thanks to the new harvest of our spirit. COVID has decimated your community, your businesses, has decimated… Two and a half years, our children were not in school. We lost many loved ones. It has really made a major impact on our city and on your community. Well, this is the new harvest. This is our Moon Festival. This is our new awakening. This is our celebration. And so together as we sit here in the people's house, Gracie Mansion, I want to say thank you on behalf of all New Yorkers. And I want say thank you for celebrating the Moon Festival here. Thank you very much.

(Program continues.)