Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run & Walk

August 22, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everyone.

Audience: Good morning.

Mayor: Come on, you’re about to walk, and run, and everything. Good morning, everyone!

Audience: Good morning!

Mayor: We’ve got to get the blood flowing here. I want to thank everyone for being a part of this. This is a beautiful moment for Harlem and for our city because what you represent, gathering together today, is the face – to me, is the face of progress, change – the face of this city coming together and being stronger all the time. It was a joy coming over here and seeing everyone, from all over this city and all over this neighborhood, gathered together in common purpose. 

So, it’s going to be a beautiful day. Individually, people out there challenging their bodies, showing what you can do, but it’s also a spirit of togetherness and a reminder of the possibility of what we can all achieve together. The message today is that this city, when people come together, can achieve extraordinary things. I am absolutely devoted to bringing police and community together as never before. And I know it can be done. I know it can be done for the betterment of all. I know we see it every day in our city. And now we have to make it a reality every single day in every neighborhood.

We also know this year has been a year of consciousness changing – a very powerful year of consciousness changing all over our country. The Black Lives Matter movement helped the people of this country talk about our history the right way. We should never have to say black lives matter, it should be self-evident. But this movement was necessary to bring people to that consciousness more clearly and to help us move forward. And even today – everyone today, together, moves forward that notion – our lives matter. All lives matter. And it helps us become a stronger and better society.

So, I want to thank you because even though everyone’s doing this with their friends, with their neighbors – it’s something to do that’s fun – it also says so much about who we are, and what we will be, about what we can be, and what we must be. So, I thank you.

I want to tell you about some people.  I just want to take a moment to thank them – Lloyd Williams, in particular, the president and cofounder of this extraordinary event and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce.

[Applause]

Voza Rivers, the vice chairman of Harlem Week; Peter Ciaccia – Ciaccia, if I say it in proper Italian – CEO of New York Road Runners; Pastor Mike Walrond – you’re going to see in a minute – the chair of my clergy council; State Senator Bill Perkins – a lot of great people here to be a part of this event.

Now, I want to say two last things to you. I want to talk about a personal moment today. It is an honor to join you and be a part of this. But I have to tell you, my heart and my soul are somewhere else at the same time, because in just a few hours – I’m about to go back to my family – in a few hours, my son, Dante is leaving for college.

[Applause]

And – proud graduate of Brooklyn Tech, now on his way to Yale University – New York public school student. And I’ve got to tell you, I’m experiencing my last few hours of having a child living in my home. So, I am certain I will be crying at different points today. I’m going to upfront about that. And there’s going to be tears of joy at the same time, because it’s a remarkable moment and we’re so proud of him. But I’m going to miss him every single day. So, I just wanted to share that with you because I’m getting ready for that separation moment in a few hours. I’m going to need all of your support to get through it.

Finally, I just want to say about Harlem Week – Harlem has, for almost a century, I think, or even more, been such a powerful part of the American imagination and certainly the heart and soul of this city as a place that speaks to something bigger. Harlem is an amazing community on to itself, but it’s always been symbol of something bigger. It’s always been a leader – a leader looked to all over the city, state, nation. And Harlem Week epitomizes that. It epitomizes the richness of the culture. It epitomizes Harlem as a place that shows all that this community has, that puts in on a global stage. It epitomizes a place that has produced so much leadership. And today’s event, named after Percy Sutton, one of the extraordinary leaders – New York City today would not be as good as it were – is in so many ways without Percy Sutton. This was one of the visionaries who made this city great.

[Applause]

So, Harlem Week really, to me, is when we remember all that Harlem is for this city and for this nation. We show the pride we feel in it. We remember the lessons. We remember the giants like Percy Sutton. By the way, it’s powerful that this neighborhood has the names of giants all over it – Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvey. You see the names everywhere, because this is a neighborhood that epitomized leadership.

Now, Harlem Week used to be a week. Harlem Week has morphed into more of a month. Eventually it will be Harlem Year, and it will just go non-stop. But now, I want to provide a proclamation because our last 41 years – this once small week turning into a mighty month has become something people in this neighborhood and this city look forward to every year, and something we are so proud of. So, it is my honor, representing all 8.5 million New Yorkers – and you’re going to like this – I’m going to declare July 26th to August 22nd as “Harlem Week”. Okay, because it’s just that big. 

[Applause]

Congratulations to everyone who is a part of Harlem Week.