Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at The Annual NYC Sikh Day Parade

April 26, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you so much. It is such an honor to be with you for this tremendous parade, honoring what this community has done for New York City – what you’ve done for our nation. I want to thank you. Over the last few years I have had the honor to get to know the Sikh community of this city better, to get to know so many of the leaders, so many of the people who are active in the community. And I know that you – every day, through your efforts, through your hard work, through your conscientiousness – you help to make New York City a better place. And first let me say to you, thank you and God bless you for what you do for this great city.

Audience: [inaudible]

I want to thank some of the leaders of the Sikh cultural society. A special thank you to Gurdev Singh Khan, the president; Mohan Singh Khatra, the chairman – I want to thank them for their hard work on behalf of the community. I want to thank everyone – every member of the community who works for the city government, who serves our city and does it well. And I want to let you know, if you work for the City of New York not only will I say thank you to you, I will make sure there is never discrimination against any Sikh citizen who serves our fellow New Yorkers. We will fight against discrimination every day because we know how much this community has to offer our city. I want to thank our great Commissioner of the Office of Immigrant Affairs from the City of New York, Nisha Agarwal – raise your hand, Nisha – thank you for all you are doing.

I’m going to offer a salute – and you’re going to have to help me with my presentation. First of all, sat sri akaal –

Audience: [inaudible]

Mayor: Am I there? Was that right? Okay. A very happy New Year to you all, and I am honored to be celebrating – now, I need help with my pronunciation – vaisakhi – am I saying that right? Vaisakhi? It is my honor to celebrate it with you. You have a perfect day for this parade. Remember – despite the challenges, despite the misunderstanding, over almost a century this community has thrived in the United States, has thrived in this city. It is a new time, where we are more and more coming to understand and appreciate all the cultures that make up this great country of ours. I can tell you as the mayor of this city, we will embrace and support the Sikh community; we will fight against discrimination; we will uphold your accomplishments; and whenever we see the negativity that we’ve seen in some parts of the country we will fight with everything we’ve got ­– our police and all the other tools we’ve got – to protect this community and to ensure that you are free from discrimination so you can continue to build the businesses, to support our city, to support the growth of our city, to live in the freedom and peace you deserve. It’s my honor to join with you today and it’s my honor to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Sikh community. Thank you and God bless you.

Audience: [inaudible]