Mayor Adams Hosts Reception Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

October 8, 2024

Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar, Strategic Initiatives: Muy buenas noches. Bienvenidos a la Casa del Pueblo, como dice nuestro alcalde Eric Adams, que les ha dado la bienvenida a todos los países de Latinoamérica a que celebremos quiénes somos y nuestra contribución a la gran ciudad de Nueva York. Quiero que le den un aplauso a todos mis colegas que están justo aquí, apoyando esa gran tradición: Nuestra Comisionada de Asuntos para los Envejecientes, Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez;uestro comisionado de HPD, un puertorriqueño de corazón, Adolfo Carrión; nuestro comisionado de Asuntos de la Ciudad, Citywide Services, Commissioner Molina;ur grand sheriff, Sheriff Miranda. You heard from la dominicana adoptada, la asambleísta, right? My great friend Jenifer Rajkumar; una dominicana hasta la tambora, Denise Felipe-Adams.

One of our newest members in the office of the mayor, our very good friend, Sarah from México. Hi, Sarah. Our commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, Commissioner Castro, I'll do it fast. It's for you, Commissioner Castro. Our Deputy Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, Miosotis Muñoz.

Our Nightlife Mayor, buen dominicano, Jeffrey García. Jeffrey brings his own coro everywhere he goes, right? Our Deputy Commissioner for CAU, la bellísima, la inigualable, Valerie Vásquez.

Ahora tengo que asegurarme de que digo mi discurso. Para mí es un orgullo estar aquí. I'm very proud to be and serve the city of New York under this great Mayor, Eric Adams, as the first Dominican Deputy Mayor for the City of New York. Thank you.

Translation: Good evening. Welcome to the People's House, as our Mayor Eric Adams says, who has welcomed all the countries of Latin America to celebrate who we are and our contribution to the great city of New York. I want you to give a round of applause to all my colleagues who are right here, supporting that great tradition: our commissioner of Aging Affairs, Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez; ur HPD commissioner, a Puerto Rican at heart, Adolfo Carrión. Our commissioner of Citywide Services, Commissioner Molina;ur grand sheriff, Sheriff Miranda. You heard from the adopted Dominican, the Assemblywoman, right? My great friend, Jenifer Rajkumar. A Dominican even to the drum, Denise Felipe-Adams.

One of our newest members in the office of the mayor, our very good friend, Sarah from México. Hi, Sarah. Our commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, Commissioner Castro, I'll do it fast. It's for you, Commissioner Castro. Our Deputy Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, Miosotis Muñoz.

Our Nightlife Mayor, buen dominicano, Jeffrey García. Jeffrey brings his own coro everywhere he goes, right? Our Deputy Commissioner for CAU, la bellísima, la inigualable, Valerie Vásquez.

Now I have to make sure I say my piece. For me it's an honor to be here. I'm very proud to be and serve the city of New York under this great Mayor, Eric Adams, as the first Dominican Deputy Mayor for the City of New York. Thank you.

I see Alex. Mayor Adams has a deep appreciation of what we bring to build this city every day, from small business owners to many commissioners who work for the city and for everyone who is here today, celebrating who we are as Latinos, because we understand that being Latino is not just an ethnicity, it is a state of mind. Es una actitud y para mí es un orgullo representarlos allá en la alcaldía.

Translation: It is an attitude and for me it is an honor to represent them there in the mayor's office.

A todos los mexicanos, colombianos, peruanos, bolivianos, guatemaltecos, uruguayos, argentinos, venezolanos, dominicanos, puertorriqueños. A los cubanos, a mis chilenos, los panameños, los hondureños, los que vienen de Costa Rica, los que vienen del sur, de Chile, los que vienen de Panamá. Me faltó un país, Ecuador. Bolivia. Perú, ahí, que celebramos. Colombia, que viva la tierra de la cumbia y del– Me faltó un país, pero no me quedo…

No, yo dije Cuba, dije Puerto Rico, República Dominicana y Cuba, las islas más lindas del mundo y Venezuela. Si me faltó uno, me voy a asegurar de que el próximo que venga a la tarima lo pueda decir.

Para mí es verdad que es un orgullo estar aquí y sé que de todos los países que he nombrado, el alcalde se ha encargado de llevarnos a todos, independientemente del Día de la Independencia, allá, al Toro de Wall Street, para que podamos izar nuestra bandera con orgullo y celebrar que sí somos americanos, pero antes de americanos tenemos otro nombre justo en nuestra etnicidad.

Dominicano, americano, Nuyoricans, DominicanYork. Sí que soy latina de verdad, right? A nuestros colombianos, americanos de Perú. En sí, espero que esta noche nos sirva como ejemplo de que lo que el alcalde ha hecho por toda la ciudad; no solo por los latinos, sino por cada neoyorquino, es un reflejo del gran trabajo que él ha hecho y del gran trabajo que hace toda la administración. Gracias a mis colegas que están justo detrás de mí. Espero que disfruten bien.

Para mí, ahora lo voy a hacer en inglés y en español. Tengo el gran placer, y sí, quiero que hagan— shhh. Yo tengo poder, ahora sí me gustó la cosa. Para mí es un gran placer presentarles a una mujer que ha dedicado toda su carrera a la educación pública, al trabajo más noble que existe en cualquier profesión. Una mujer latina, una mujer de origen puertorriqueño, una mujer— Exactamente, a los puertorriqueños, right?

Una mujer que es un producto del sistema de escuelas públicas de la ciudad de Nueva York, que su hija va a la escuela pública de la ciudad de Nueva York, y que es una gran amiga, que ha sido nombrada como la canciller del Departamento de Educación de la ciudad de Nueva York. El departamento de educación más grande de todo el país, que ahora va a ser liderado por una latina. Ahora en English, a ver si me sale.

Translation: To all the Mexicans, Colombians, Peruvians, Bolivians, Guatemalans, Uruguayans, Argentines, Venezuelans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans. To the Cubans, to my Chileans, the Panamanians, the Hondurans, those who come from Costa Rica, those who come from the south, from Chile, those who come from Panama. I missed a country, Ecuador. Bolivia. Peru, there, we celebrate. Colombia, long live the land of cumbia and– I missed a country, but I'm not staying…

No, I said Cuba, I said Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, the most beautiful islands in the world and Venezuela. If I missed one, I'm going to make sure that the next one who comes to the stage can say it.

For me it is true that it is an honor to be here and I know that of all the countries I have named, the mayor has taken it upon himself to take us all, regardless of Independence Day, there, to the Bull of Wall Street, so that we can proudly raise our flag and celebrate that we are Americans, but before being Americans we have another name right in our ethnicity.

Dominican, American, Nuyoricans, DominicanYork. Yes, I am truly Latina, right? To our Colombians, Americans from Peru. In itself, I hope that tonight serves as an example that what the mayor has done for the entire city, not only for Latinos, but for every New Yorker, is a reflection of the great work that he has done and the great work that the entire administration does. Thanks to my colleagues who are right behind me. I hope you enjoy it well.

For me, now I am going to do it in English and in Spanish. I have the great pleasure, and yes, I want you to do— shhh. I have power, now I really liked it. It is my great pleasure to introduce you to a woman who has dedicated her entire career to public education, to the most noble work there is in any profession. A Latina woman, a woman of Puerto Rican origin, a woman— Exactly, to Puerto Ricans, right?

A woman who is a product of the New York City Public School System, whose daughter goes to New York City public school, and who is a great friend, who has been appointed as the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. The largest education department in the entire country, which is now going to be led by a Latina. Now in English, let's see if I can do it.

I'm very proud to introduce this strong Nuyorican, of Puerto Rican parents, born in the Bronx, raised in the Bronx. The product of the New York City Public School System. I can't say this in English, a great Puerto Rican woman, whose own child is a product of the public school system, and who's now making us very proud to have been named the chancellor of the greatest public school system in the entire city. Chancellor Melissa Avilés-Ramos.

Chancellor Melissa Avilés-Ramos, Department of Education: Vamos a comenzar con nuestra palabra favorita. Wepa! Ya estamos. Buenas tardes, mil gracias a nuestro alcalde por esta gran oportunidad de ser la primera latina, la primera mujer boricua de ser canciller.

Translation: Let's start with our favorite word. Wepa! Here we go. Good afternoon, thank you so much to our mayor for this great opportunity to be the first Latina, the first Puerto Rican woman to be chancellor.

Thank you so much to our mayor, Eric Adams, for giving me this great opportunity to be the first Latina, the first Puerto Rican woman to be New York City Public Schools Chancellor. I will not let you down, it is my great honor. Thank you.

I stand up here with this incredible group of Latino leaders who have wrapped their arms around New York City, who have wrapped their arms around me, who stand up every day for New York City. Wow, these are just incredible people to be in the community with, so another round of applause for them, please.

Es un gran honor for me, a great honor, to introduce our next speaker, a great friend who has been a part of the fabric of New York City for many years. My good friend, commissioner of the Department of Transportation, Ydanis Rodríguez.

Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez, Department of Transportation: Bueno. Vamos a practicar algo. Primeramente, como maestros que fuimos, vamos a practicar dos nombres, cuando yo diga, "Eric", ustedes dicen, "Adams", cuando yo diga, "People", ustedes dicen, "Power". Eric.

Translation: Okay, let's practice something. First of all, as former teachers, we're going to practice two names. When I say, "Eric," you say, "Adams," when I say, "People," you say, "Power." Eric.

Audience: Adams!

Commissioner Rodríguez: Eric.

Audience: Adams!

Commissioner Rodríguez: Eric.

Audience: Adams!

Commissioner Rodríguez: People.

Audience: Power!

Commissioner Rodríguez: People.

Audience: Power!

Commissioner Rodríguez: People.

Audience: Power!

Commissioner Rodríguez: I want you to just give me a few minutes. I saw the movie Mother Cabrini when I was coming back from D.R., and I saw how Mother Cabrini, when she was asked to be sent to New York City, Italian was so discriminated. When she got the money to build the building at Fort Tryon, she demanded, she didn't ask, she didn't beg, she demanded that 50 percent of the people that will be used to rebuild that building in Fort Tryon Park, where her body still is as the first American saint, would be Italian.

2024, Latinos we've been treated as someone in the back of the bus. Yes, Spanish is my native language, orgulloso de que el español es mi primer idioma.

If you're Jewish, if you're Italian, if you're Afro-American, if you're Asian, if you have power, you don't ask for it, society gives you respect. With Mayor Adams, what we have is the person, we don't have a choice, no one has seen me as someone that-- Yes, I met the mayor in 1989, I was a young guy with my jeans, my sweater, organizing at CUNY, and CUNY wanted to expel all of us. He went to Staten Island as a transit police, to say, "Respect the young people, let them do peaceful civil disobedience. Peaceful."

He was there, in 1989. Who would say that decades after we got our brother, as he says, "Arrested, rejected, and now elected." Giving the opportunity to someone like me who came here to wash dishes. I'm not supposed to be here speaking to you guys, I'm supposed to be the guy serving the food. Let's give them a big round of applause.

As they work so hard, they will be ready to be a new commissioner in the future. Those asylum seekers that unfortunately, we as a nation didn't provide the support that they deserve. The mayor took 100,000 of those individuals without financial support. They found a voice with someone who said, "We had to work together." The son and daughter of those asylum seekers will be the doctors curing us in the future, they will be the engineers building luxury and affordable housing for those.

They will be the doctor curing us. This is what the asylum seeker finds with this mayor. The mayor says one thing to all commissioners, including myself, "Keep laser focus. Do your job." No one has more discipline and focus than Mayor Eric Adams. Let's give them a big round of applause.

I'm [inaudible] ready. After washing dishes, making sandwiches, and driving taxis, I put myself through college and became a teacher. I was in the classroom for 15 years. I've been a co-founder of a school. I was a council member for 12 years. I've been a commissioner for three years in an opportunity that was given, not because I ran the Latino campaign for the mayor, but yet because of my experience on transportation. Unfortunately, in a racist society, they only would think about, "He's a commissioner because he runs the campaign."

No, I'm a goddamn former councilmember for 12 years, we have a lot of experience in transportation. Yes, last year we made the safest year in New York City, the lowest pedestrian fatality of the last 113 years because Brother Adams gave me that opportunity.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to stay with Mayor Adams shoulder to shoulder. Are you ready?

Audience: Yes.

Commissioner Rodríguez: Are you ready?

Audience: Yes.

Commissioner Rodríguez: Para mí es un gran honor estar aquí como comisionado. Yo no soy la historia. I'm not the story of someone born and raised here. I'm the story of [Marvin Dow's] granddad.

Some people say, "I'm an immigrant too." Everyone is an immigrant. If you are a Jew, you [are an] immigrant. If you are Italian, you [are an] immigrant. If you are Black, you [are an] immigrant. If you are Asian, you [are an] immigrant. Let's celebrate that immigrant is equal to be proud of who we are.

Les doy ahora el alcalde. El alcalde latino de nosotros. El aliado más principal, lo digo con el nombre que yo tengo. Hice 12 años de concejal y salí por la puerta grande, ¿verdad? Lo hice correctamente. Hoy pongo el nombre mío para llamarlos a cada uno de ustedes, en que estemos ahí, hombro con hombro, shoulder to shoulder, with a great mayor, the most progressive by economic justice. $25 billion going to MWBE by 2026. Only someone with the courage, preview laws enforcement.

Translation: I now give you the mayor. Our Latino mayor. The most important ally, I say it with the name that I have. I served 12 years as a councilman and left through the front door, right? I did it correctly. Today I put my name to call each one of you, so that we are there, shoulder to shoulder, with a great mayor, the most progressive by economic justice. $25 billion going to MWBE by 2026. Only someone with the courage, preview laws enforcement.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome with a big applause, our great Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Oh, man. Look at you, celebrating our rich powerful Hispanic heritage. Go back in your minds, 1613, Juan Rodríguez, the first immigrant to come here and greet the Indigenous people. You were here long before Starbucks. You've been here for a long time. Before people realize what this beautiful place we call New York represents. I want you to do something. As I was listening to my brother Ydanis, I want you to just take a moment and reflect on your personal journey, your personal life, your personal trajectory.

Think about the hurdles that not you had to overcome, what your parents had to overcome. Think about the challenging times that they had, and that they were unwilling to give up.

You are here because they said to themselves, regardless of the language barrier, regardless of the discrimination, regardless of what they had to do so that you can become who you are. You're not who you are because of your excellence, you are who you are because of your parents' commitment, dedication, and unwillingness to surrender, even during difficult times.

If we have come through difficult times and been willing to be resilient and never surrender, never give up, why the hell are people telling me to step down from being the mayor of the city of New York? Are you kidding me? Hard times is what we know. Can you imagine if your family, your mother, your grandmother, your ancestry would have given up? We don't surrender. We fight for what we believe is right.

I'm going to say it to you, and I'm going to say it throughout this city, I didn't do a damn thing wrong, and I'm not going to surrender to anyone telling me that I did something wrong.

I got a job to do. I have a mission to complete. I inherited a city that was spiking in gun violence. We were not getting contracts at MWBEs. Billions of dollars were going to other communities and not to communities that are representative of who we are. We're now at 28 percent. We moved thousands of illegal guns off our streets and invested in foster care children.

Independent financial experts are digging into how well we have made sure the finances of the city have come back. Small businesses are open and operating at the highest level in history, and we know that immigrant communities are some of the mainstays of small businesses. What we've done with our children, is why Melissa is continuing the legacy of David Banks to have this system from the Bronx, now running the largest school system in the nation.

You look at the diversity of this administration. It took 110 mayors before we had the first Dominican to be a deputy mayor.

This is a crucial time for us right now, and I'm not going to be distracted. I'm not going to be unwilling to do the tough choices to move our city forward in the right direction. You look at what my brother Adolfo Carrion is doing over at HPD, building more affordable housing in year one and year two in the history of this city, and transitioning more people out of homeless shelters into permanent housing in one year in the history of this city.

These are real results for real people. That's what my focus is. I am so focused on finishing the job I started 35 years ago when I started this journey to become the mayor of the City of New York. You are 30 percent of this city. The decision-maker of who's going to run this city must run through the Hispanic community.

That's why when I was down in the polls when people said it was not possible, I started moving through the Bronx, moving through Sunset Park, moving through Williamsburg, moving through Bushwick, connecting on the ground with the Hispanic community of all different groups. You do an analysis, I'm probably the only man that has visited more of your countries to understand and respect your heritage in the level that it is. I don't care if it's Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic.

You name it and I was there, respecting your home and your homeland. That's the challenge people don't understand. Tonight you grace us here, and [inaudible]. You contributed to the city so much, and you've given back so much. Nothing personifies that more than the men and women of the law enforcement community who are here today because the prerequisite to our prosperity lies in how well we do with public safety, and when you don that uniform, you are saying you're going to protect the communities that you represent in a real way.

I thank you for being there. I thank you for what you have done, what we are doing, and what we will finish, we will finish the job that we started. We know what the city could become. Too many people were betrayed, from communities that look like yours, look like mine, were ending up betrayed, and this administration with this amazing team that's behind me, that's a diversity, we are the United Nations of politics in the cities across this entire country, because we have opened the door for countless number of people.

I thank you personally, you inspire me, you enrich me, you encourage me, and you fortify me. You tell me, "Never surrender, Eric. Keep fighting for the people of New York." I will always fight for the people of New York. Mi casa es su casa. Thank you.

Listen. I want to acknowledge our honorary Hispanic Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, ever-present fighting on behalf of the people. Great to see you here.

We've got a special birthday celebration for my good friend from the Restaurant Association. Come on up here Meli, happy birthday to you. Can we do the Stevie Wonder version? Valerie, also it's your birthday. These are these Libras in the house, right? Do that Stevie Wonder version.

Commissioner Rodríguez: I want to say thank you to Jay, [inaudible] he's also at Gracie Mansion. Let's give them a bigger applause for helping us to be here.

Ahora vamos a mencionar a las personas, los vamos a llamar para su reconocimiento. 

Translation: Now we are going to mention the people, we are going to call them for their recognition.

Now we're going to be calling those honoring today, but the mayor said, Latino made 30 percent and the chancellor [inaudible] but we are leader for everyone, but the chancellors are responsible to educate everyone. By New York City Public Schools, 42 percent of the students are Latino, también va a ser un gran honor que vamos a tener una latina también.

Now we're going to be calling the honorees, George Contreras is a healthcare professional educator and administrator with over 33 years of experience in a wide range fields including emergency medical services.

George Contreras: Thank you very much, it's a pleasure to be here today. Buenas noches mi gente, ¿cómo están?

Are any Ecuadorians in the house? I want to thank the mayor for what he has done for the Hispanic community. I take very seriously what he said, and I want to take a moment. He mentioned about how we all got here, we all got here because of the sacrifices of our parents. I'm a first-generation college graduate, my parents came from Ecuador in the 1960s and now I'm the Dean of the School of Health at Westchester Community College.

I'm a paramedic, I'm a nurse, I also worked over 30 years in New York City, and I wanted to thank my beloved mother who's here in the crowd. Let's give her a round of applause.

I also want to thank my wife who's here with me, who is supporting me as well, [Silvia.] My family is here, [Manny, Bou,] thank you very much for representing the Contreras [inaudible] family. Also special thank you to my father, who also made the sacrifice, and he passed away several years ago. I had the fortunate blessing of being with him in his last moments. Thank you very much. Gracias a todos ustedes. Gracias, alcalde Adams, por todo.

Commissioner Rodríguez: La otra persona es una gran amiga, una gran hermana, una luchadora emigrante, una persona que sirve in the Law Enforcement. 

Translation: The other person is a great friend, a great sister, an immigrant fighter, a person who serves in the Law Enforcement.

The daughter of a Mexican immigrant, Yesenia Mata, is an immigration and veteran affairs activist, as well as the executive director of the Staten Island based, Immigration Day Labor, La Colmena. Also as a member of the US Army Reserve Military Police, she also advocates for the rights of those who have worn our nation’s uniform.

Yesenia Mata: Buenas noches a todos. I am thankful to receive this award from the greatest city in New York, the greatest city that ensures that all the Latino communities are supported. As a Mexican-American, it's always important for me to ensure that the Mexican community is heard and that the Mexican community has a space in the city. That's why I'm really looking forward to ensuring that I can continue working with all the Latino communities here in the City of New York to ensure that we continue growing, to ensure that we continue being supported.

Como dice el mexicano: que siga la fiesta. Puro party. Buenas noches.

Translation: As the Mexicans say, let the party continue. Pure party. Good night.

Commissioner Rodríguez: Thank you, Yesenia. We're ready to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Times Square. Noviembre 1, estaremos con el comisionado Castro celebrando el Día de los Muertos en Times Square. Now, a native of Venezuela, Luisa Díaz is a complete philanthropic, altruist, and model. She has a peer and numerous Academic Awards [inaudible], and here we have Luisa to also get her recognition, too.

Luisa Díaz: Buenas noches. ¿Cómo está nuestra gente latina? I am so honored to receive this award. Thank you to New York City. Thank you, Mayor Adams, for this honor. I wanted to remind you that right now, kindness will always united us. My organization is a celebration of kindness. We celebrate the great things that individuals and organizations are doing for each other.

We raise funds for domestic violence survivors and human trafficking. Tonight, I am very proud to receive this award because this is not just for me, it's for all of us here and every Latino, every Hispanic, who is here in the United States and who is now here at the Gracie Mansion. This award is a recognition for the hard work that each of us are doing, because we know we are hard workers, and we work very hard. Nobody can say otherwise, right?

I wanted to leave you with a quote by Dalái Lama that said, "Kindness is not a weakness, it is a strength." Maya Angelou said, "It takes courage to be kind." I say, "Kindness is good." Be kind to yourself and others, and let's celebrate each other because los latinos somos poderosos. Gracias.

Commissioner Rodríguez: Nos faltan dos más, ¿oyeron? Uno habla, pero todos tenemos que escuchar también. ¿Ecuador está presente aquí? 

Translation: We're missing two more, you hear? One speaks, but we all have to listen too. Is Ecuador present here?

Unfortunately, we've lost John Paul, el DJ for La Mega, but now we have another great representative of the Ecuadorian community, Raúl Eduardo Cela Saltos, known professionally as R.Cela. Is a prominent singer, songwriter, and producer, who signed with a prestige Univision Music Group. He had to be recognized by Mayor Eric Adams.

Raúl Eduardo Cela Saltos: ¿Dónde están los latinos? ¿Dónde está Ecuador? Bueno, ara mí es un placer poder estar con ustedes. Es un orgullo poder representar a Ecuador y a toda la raza latina. Que sepan que tenemos bandera, que sepan que nosotros estamos aquí siempre dando lo mejor de nosotros. Es un orgullo. Cada uno de ustedes por algo están acá esta noche. Quiero agradecerles a Ángela Moreno, a César Carrera, por haber puesto mi nombre y considerado para esta noche tan especial.

Gracias a todos los latinos, y con esto me despido, para que sepan lo que es mi propuesta a través de la producción y de la música. Escuchen con atención, porque el artista tiene que dar un mensaje universal, porque la gente no entiende que el ser humano es uno solo, que venimos por la misma vía y la misma ruta nos espera, porque no queremos entender que en nuestro ser descansa la guerra y la paz, y se dividen dos bandos.

Lado uno: la verdad, la alegría, la humildad, capitaneando el amor. Lado dos: la tristeza, la mentira, la envidia, capitaneando el ego. Es una batalla de sensaciones. ¿Por qué en vez de ponerle un antivirus a nuestra computadora, no le ponemos un antiego a nuestros corazones? Que la verdad absoluta no existe, que el éxito y la fama son opiniones populares manipuladas por el marketing sensacionalismo. Que el talento no se hace, se lo alquila o te lo presto.

La música es parte de mi vida y les recuerdo una vez más que nosotros nacimos para esto. Gracias, latinos.

Translation: Where are the Latinos? Where is Ecuador? Good. For me it is a pleasure to be able to be with you. It is an honor to be able to represent Ecuador and the entire Latino race. Let them know that we have a flag, let them know that we are here always giving the best of ourselves. It is an honor. Each one of you is here tonight for a reason. I want to thank Angela Moreno, Cesar Carrera for having put my name and considered for this very special night.

Thank you to all the Latinos and with this I say goodbye so that you know what my proposal is through production and music. Listen carefully, because the artist has to give a universal message, because people do not understand that the human being is one, that we come by the same path and the same route awaits us, because we do not want to understand that war and peace rest in our being, and two sides are divided.

Side one, the truth, the joy, the humility, leading the love. Side two, the sadness, the lie, the envy, leading the ego. It's a battle of feelings. Why, instead of installing an antivirus on our computer, don't we install an anti-ego on our hearts? That absolute truth doesn't exist, that success and fame are popular opinions manipulated by sensational marketing. That talent is not made, it is rented or I lend it to you.

Music is part of my life and I remind you once again that we were born for this. Thank you, Latinos.

Commissioner Rodríguez: Hello. Ya nos falta uno solo más. Oigan lo siguiente. Ustedes han oído que el alcalde siempre dice, the mayor always says that you'll see the glory, but not the story. Hoy es el alcalde. Después de ser presidente en este país, el segundo trabajo más difícil es ser alcalde. Mayor always say, "You'll see the glory, but not the story." Being the mayor is the second toughest job after being a president.

¿Ustedes han ido a comprar alguna vez a una bodega? ¿No? Ahí tenemos Francisco Maltes, Radamel está por ahí, pero the last person to be honor here is the Vice President of Government Affairs of the largest numbers of supermarkets in the whole City of New York, but they started with bodega. Muchos vendían Brugal, vendían números, trabajaron duro. Ahora los hijos de ellos son los nuevos empresarios también.

Ahora vamos a terminar reconociendo por parte del alcalde el rostro de la Asociación de Supermercados de la ciudad de Nueva York, Nelson Eusebio.

Translation: Hello. We're just missing one more. Listen to this. You've heard that the mayor always says that you'll see the glory, but not the story. Today he is the mayor. After being president in this country, the second toughest job is being a mayor. Mayor always say, "You'll see the glory, but not the story." Being the mayor is the second toughest job after being a president.

Have you ever gone shopping at a bodega? No? There we have Francisco Maltes, Radamel is there, but the last person to be honored here is the Vice President of Government Affairs of the largest numbers of supermarkets in the entire City of New York, but they started with bodega. Many sold Brugal, sold numbers, worked hard. Now their children are the new entrepreneurs too.

Now we will finish by recognizing the face of the Supermarket Association of the City of New York, Nelson Eusebio, on behalf of the mayor.

Nelson Eusebio: República Dominicana, presente. Latinos, presente. Nueva York, presente. Como dijo Ydanis:nosotros representamos supermercados, y no me da vergüenza decirles que hace tres años los supermercados casi meten pérdidas por el alto costo del crimen.

Translation: Dominican Republic, present. Latinos, present. New York, present. As Ydanis said, we represent supermarkets and I am not ashamed to tell you that three years ago supermarkets almost made losses due to the high cost of crime.

We were overrun three years ago by crime. In a long comes our mayor, and we go through this mayor, "Mayor, we need help. We can't keep our doors open." He sent us to one police plaza, we met with him on a personal level. He sent us to all the district attorneys. We met with them. We organized and three years later crime is down in our supermarkets, thanks to Mayor Adams. Thanks to this mayor.

It's no coincidence that we're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. I would like the mayor to know that one of the most famous words in the Spanish language, one of the most famous words en la lengua latina es amigo. Amigos somos nosotros y we're always going to be your amigos, Mr. Adams, now and forever. Amigos para siempre.