Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at Puerto Rican Heritage Celebration

November 19, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Buenas noches a todos.

Now, you know, bienvenidos a la alcaldía. But it is, when I say alcaldía, we share the building, okay? I just want to be clear.

[Laughter]

And it is the people’s house, and it is a place where we should, as Melissa said, we should celebrate every people, every community that makes this city great. It’s impossible to imagine New York City without our Puerto Rican community. It’s just literally true – if you say New York City, if you say it’s the greatest city in the country, the greatest city in the world, then you are saying thank you to the Puerto Rican community for making it great.

[Applause]

I advise you, just walking along the street – in the coming days, just walk up to someone randomly and say, “You’re welcome.”

[Laughter]

I want to thank Melissa, because we are absolutely partners in this work and share that vision – and thank you for your kindness in how you described it, Melissa – we share that passionate vision of a city for everyone, because I think that is part of the values of New York City. And sometimes, over the years, it seemed that that slipped away. But I think it’s our values, I think it is what we believe in as New Yorkers – that this is a city for everyone.

And by the way, in the context of the world today, we shine even more as a beacon because we believe every kind of people matters; because we welcome immigrants; we welcome new people to make us stronger.

Some people on the national stage nowadays seem to have forgotten their history, and seemed to have erased from their minds that this is the great nation of immigrants and this city, the greatest city, is the expression of immigration of every kind. It is the expression of people of all backgrounds coming together. That’s our greatness. And it’s so interesting how that gets erased from the dialogue over and over again, then we have to reassert it, then it gets erased, then we have to reassert it – but it’s so evidently true.

And so, these gatherings are so important to celebrate the truth of who are – to stand, in a sense, in defiance to some of those who would deny our very being as New Yorkers and Americans and our respect for all peoples.

Melissa is such a passionate supporter of this community, such a passionate believer in her own people, but brings such deep concern to all neighborhoods and all corners of the city as well. And I have to say, it would be heartening to any member of the Puerto Rican community here, but also to millions people of the island to know that Melissa really always makes sure to watch out for the interests of the Puerto Rican people. And she’s adamant about it. I remember – not only in the recent weeks and months, as we’ve addressed the horrible financial crisis and the health care crisis of Puerto Rico – but before that, on so many issues, your sharp, sharp focus and how you make that a part of everything you do.

So, she is a loyal and true Boricua. Let’s give her a round of applause.

[Applause]

Now, there are several communities for whom I get to say that, outside of the homeland, I happen to be the person who has the biggest community, and this is one of them. Almost 700,000 Puerto Ricans in the City of New York – the largest gathering of Puerto Ricans – center of Puerto Ricans anywhere outside the island – and again, part of what makes us so strong.

Now, we have to remember that there are 3.5 million people on the island who are depending on us – who are depending on us. We have to be the vanguard for them in their hour of need, because it is a profound moment of need.

And, I have to tell you, we have seen different challenges over the years – different cities, states having problems – but this one is a very different kind of crisis, and we have look it in the eye – because our federal government created a series of policies, some of which benefitted Puerto Rico, and then our federal government changed those policies. And Puerto Rico lost out in the equation.

And then, imagine this – when the chickens came home to roost, and when the economy of Puerto Rico suffered, and when resources became short, you would think – you would think that our federal government would say, “Okay. It’s time to make things right. It’s time to stand up for Puerto Rico.” No – the deafening silence heard as the crisis began was very, very striking. The willingness to treat 3.5 million Americans as somehow different from everyone else – it was quite clear.

Now, a lot of people in this room and a lot of people in cities around the country stood up, made their voices heard, made their voices heard in Washington, and things are starting to change. And I have to say, the president’s vision, which he outlined over the last few weeks, was a very welcome step in the right direction. Finally, a vision we could believe in that will actually help the Puerto Rican people.

[Applause]

And we know that it is obvious progress when the president of the United States presents a plan that actually talks about stabilizing the finances of Puerto Rico; that actually talks about the looming humanitarian and healthcare crisis and how to avert it. That’s progress. But we have a much bigger fight ahead, because winning over this Congress and putting this issue on the front pages where it belongs every single day will take more work.

And a lot of us went to Puerto Rico a few weeks ago to make the point. I know, brothers and sisters, hermanos y hermanas, we are going to have to spend time in Washington, D.C. to make the point, too. And we are going to have to do it with real passion – because we have a chance now to break through, but we can’t let that chance slip away.

Many, many people care about the Puerto Rican community here and about the 3.5 million people of Puerto Rico itself, and a lot of them are in the room tonight. I particularly want to acknowledge and thank some folks who are here. Of course, I want to thank, for his wonderful invocation and the great work he does in the community, Reverend Ray Rivera, who also sits on my Clergy Advisory Board. Thank you for your great leadership.

[Applause]

From my administration I want to thank our Commissioner for ACS Gladys Carrión, and – clap for Gladys.

[Applause]

She’s very shy though. I’m the only person in history who ever called you shy, Gladys.

[Laughter]

And our Commissioner for Community Affairs, Marco A. Carrión.

[Applause]

And then we have a group of City Council members here, I just want to acknowledge, but then I’m going to split them into two categories. The Boricuas – that would be Maria del CarmenArroyo and Fernando Cabrera, we welcome you. And the want-to-be Boricuas –

[Laughter]

– Donovan Richards, Jumaane Williams, Daneek Miller, Mark Levine.

[Applause]

Okay, listen to this, Donovan Richards wants to be a Boricua so much he married one. He’s trying to get in – he’s trying to show that he’s worthy. If you’re very – oh, I’m sorry that was Mark Levine. I’m sorry, Mark Levine. Correction – correction, Donovan it’s okay, you didn’t marry two people. It’s okay.

[Laughter]

That could be very messy – Mark Levine. But if you’re very good this evening those of you who are not blessed enough to be Puerto Rican you can get an application form on the way out, and they will consider you.

So, just a few other points, and then I have the honor of presenting an honor. And I just want to finish as we talk about the challenge in Puerto Rico. You know, the march we went to, Unidos Por La Salud – think about that for a minute. We wanted people to have healthcare. We wanted our fellow Americans not to lose healthcare, that’s what that march was about. Which really – really shouldn’t be necessary to have to march in 2015 to make sure Americans don’t lose their healthcare, but that’s what that march was about. And that’s why it was so important.

I had the honor of spending time after the march with Governor Garcia Padilla, who has a tough, tough job he’s dealing with, but it’s our job to support him in so many ways. And again, that fight has to be taken to Washington over and over again.

So all I can say in conclusion on that point is please, please spread this world, the urgency, the moment. There’s a key moment coming up just in these next few weeks for action in Washington. We need to focus attention. We need to make sure the media is talking about it; that our representatives in Washington are talking about it; the business leaders are talking about it because our bond is so clear. There is no deeper bond. There literally can’t be a deeper bond. As Melissa said, that pure connection between Puerto Rico and New York City. Either they’re the sixth borough or we are an island off of Puerto Rico. I don’t know which it is, but it’s a deep connection. And so we have an obligation to follow through.

And speaking of following through, I have the honor to present a proclamation to tonight’s first honoree, and she has followed through because she took all of her talent; and her drive; and her style; and her personality; and her mind; and her vision, and she turned it into something great. I have to say that most of us just hope that we get to do some good work and that somehow it makes an impact. Some people rise up to a different level and let me start by saying, when we talk about Angie Martinez the title Voice of New York – La voz de Nuéva York.

That’s a pretty amazing title. You must be someone pretty special to reach that level, but it’s actually true – a voice that typifies us; that is an example of everything good about us; that can be a conscious for us. And if you listen to the Angie Martinez Show on Power 105 you will not only be entertained, you will often be enlightened; you will often be encourages to be your better self; you will often be encouraged to do something to help others. And Angie has taken all that she is and she’s really become an icon, but a virtuous icon. An icon that makes people very proud – makes us proud as New Yorkers; makes the entire Latino community proud, particularly it makes the Puerto Rican community proud. And I hate to say role model because it’s a phrase used to often, but you know what, there are some people who are role models. There are some people who inspire other people to believe they can actually get there.

Now, Angie could just rest on her laurels and that would be fine. And she could have unsuspected guest like me on her show, and do her 20 quiz questions or whatever it was.

Angie Martinez: It was 10.

Mayor: It was 10, okay. It felt like 20.

[Laughter]

But it was a joy to be on her show. It really was, but now Angie is going beyond – beyond all the work she’s done before. Now, she has taken on a truly important mission – she is taking something precious and updating it, and modernizing it. She is bringing la cocína puertorriquéña into the 21st Century with her new healthier versions of her childhood recipes – the ones she loved in her childhood.

[Applause]

So it – perhaps you have heard of arroz con pollo.

[Laughter]

In Angie’s world it is now quinoa con pollo, but it is still wonderful.

[Laughter]

So I have the great honor of presenting a proclamation to Angie. I know Melissa has the great joy of presenting a proclamation to Manny Vega to commend his great work, but I will first take this opportunity to say, Angie, thank you; New York City thanks you. You mean a lot to all of us. You’re one of the people that make us happy and proud to be New Yorkers. Girl don’t ever change.

[Laughter]

Ladies and gentlemen, Angie Martinez.

[Applause]