Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts Annual Reception Celebrating Puerto Rican Heritage

July 13, 2023

Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, Department for the Aging: [Speaks in Spanish]. Gracia. Good evening everyone. Thank you. Thank you to the People's House. I need your attention for four minutes. Then you can talk to each other, party and do what you do well. I have the distinct honor of introducing someone who always opens his home to us as a community. All right, settle down.

To introduce you to someone who loves to open his house as the People's House. And that is none other than the Mayor Edward Adams… Eric Adams. I can't believe I did that. Eric Adams. Eric Adams has made a commitment to transform this city from the bottom up and also from the top down. He has made a commitment that this is a city that is going to break barriers, is all-inclusive and also... Hi, Steven. And also the most important thing that he's done is to get things done. He's a disruptor and a builder. And we're very fortunate, because if you can see behind me, his administration is an administration that is inclusive and involves all. And you can't be listening to me if you're talking. And I'm going to ask you to stop talking because in a minute we're going to bring the man of the hour. Our mayor, Eric Adams, here to say, [speaks in Spanish]. Mayor Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Hola, mi gente. I love that New York tune, because it says two lines that I love. One, you could tell by my attitude I'm from New York. Two, I would be hood forever. Forever. And I want to thank Lorraine. I see my brother Mike Nieves over in the back. And the long, long relationship I've had with Lorraine, who's now the commissioner of Department of Aging and the amazing things she's doing. When I came on as the mayor, I just really wanted to convince her to stay and I was so happy when she did. She has been with me so many years. And she is a pioneer for the Puerto Rican community. And you need to really just show her some love.

Unbelievable. And when you look behind me, you are just really seeing a reflection of people who have spent so many years fighting on behalf of the Puerto Rican community, and their commitment and dedication. Tony Miranda, who's now the sheriff helping us clean up the illegal weed spots, his days from the National Latino Officer Association. And you could just go down the list. Former Borough President of the Borough of the Bronx. What my brother is doing, Adolfo Carrión, is now in charge of HPD. These are important areas where you are seeing leadership from the community, and we're breaking barriers. We are doing things that have never been done before. And don't believe the hype, because you have a brother in the Department of Correction of Puerto Rican ancestry, and my man, the commissioner of DOC. It’s unbelievable what he's doing in the Department of Correction. Unbelievable.

For years, the Department of Correction… Prior to Commissioner Molina's arrival, for years, the place has been a mess. A mess. Now you look at the violence is down, the place is cleaner. We just rolled out today to give those inmates who are going home, we're giving them contact to services with cell phones and a correction health facilities. His innovation and his vision is changing the Department of Correction. And so, what we have done in 18 months to fix the mess of generations, now people are trying to critique, acting like he's not making real improvements. Trust me when I tell you, when this Puerto Rican brother became commissioner, he started focusing on improving those jails in a manner that no one has done in the history of those jails. And I thank you for doing that. And check this out. Check this out. I have been on Rikers Island visiting inmates and correction officers more than any mayor in the history of this city.  In the history of this city. And so not only do you travel to Puerto Rico during the terrible hurricane, but partnering with Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez when the mayors and others asked to get items like sanitation trucks and using our resources to get them to Puerto Rico. There's a rich relationship here. 

People say that Puerto Rico is the sixth borough of New York. I say, no, New York is the sixth borough of Puerto Rico. New York is the San Juan of America. You look into the history and the success of this city, you would see over and over again the role that the Puerto Rican community has played and how they ensured and fortified everything that's great about the city. You are as New York, as New York has ever been, and we know that. And marching up Fifth Avenue with you the other day, so much pride of just watching us bring that energy onto Fifth Avenue and showing the richness of the community, from teachers to those in law enforcement, to those who are business leaders, those who are leaderships and parts of this administration over and over again.

But trust me when I tell you, I have a few more Puerto Rican firsts that are going to take place in the city. I got some real stuff that we get ready to roll out. We have just begun to start this real initiative. You are going to be proud, all 700,000 of you that live in this city. I am mayor because of you, because of your support, because you said, "This guy is one of us. This guy is one of us." And when I sit down and talk to my nephew, Steven Cruz and Sean Cruz and I sit down and talk to my family members, we see the intersectionality of what your community wants and what we are delivering every day because we have the same thing in mind. You believe in family, you believe in education, you believe in children, you believe in business, and you believe in public safety. You know we deserve to live safe in our community and to prosper in our community.

So it doesn't matter where you live. You can live in the Mighty Boogie Down Bronx with the Borough President Vanessa Gibson, or the legendary Ruben Díaz, Jr. Or you can see some of the great councilperson like Councilman Salamanca. Your leadership is everywhere in this city and continue to grow and prosper as we move forward. These are important times for all of us. We must make sure that we lift up those who provided and put the spirit in this city. So as we celebrate Boriqua and the community that it represents and all that it brings, I cannot tell you, welcome to your house, the people house. Those of you who are here for the first time, please come often. Those of you who came here single, please find yourself a boo so that you'll have some fun, and now enjoy the spirit and the energy that this city has to offer.

But we want to lift up some of our heroes as we celebrate this important day. My girl, Valerie from CAU. No one works harder. She's going to bring up some of our honorees and say thank you. But as we look ahead, as we look ahead, we have to look at those early pioneers. We got to look at the Young Lords, the Pablo Guzmáns. We got to look at the Arnie Segarras that's here, that stood side by side with David Dinkins and his body person. We got to look at those early Puerto Rican fighters. They really paved the way for all of us. And don't ever forget that.

Young people who are here, you are not where you are because you are the smartest, the brightest, the most popular. You are where you are because there were Puerto Ricans who were willing to stand up and fight for you to be able to have the opportunities that you have. Never forget them. Never forget those early fighters and what they were able to accomplish. I know them. I read about them. I met them. I saw how well they did. We built what we did based on the energy and the spirit of the early African Americans, the early Indian Americans, the early Irish, the early Italians, the early people that came here and fought to say that we too deserve what America has to offer. No one personifies that more than the Puerto Rican community. And so I want to bring Valerie up so we can honor some of those heroes and sheroes.

[Citations are presented.]

Mayor Adams: So we just wanted to finish up with just acknowledging our amazing folks on the stage. Give it up, just give them all some love. My brother, Councilman Salamanca, Acting Commissioner Eddie Caban, Adolfo Carrión, the lovely Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, Vilda Mayuga, commissioner of Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Anthony Miranda, Louis Melina, Ydanis Rodriguez, Jasmine Ray, the first sports czar, his first Puerto Rican sports czar. José, my brother in charge of ethnic media services. I'm not sure if José is here. But the entire team, if I forgot anyone, I love you. Let's keep moving forward. Viva Puerto Rico.

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