Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Speaks at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Travis 4th of July Parade

July 4, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you everyone. Happy Fourth of July everyone.

[Applause]

It is such a pleasure to be here in Travis. I’ve been to this beautiful parade before in this beautiful community. This is really Fourth of July at its best here. And it’s a joy to be with you. And I have to tell you, this parade – there’s a debate raging – this is one of the oldest Fourth of July parades in the entire United States of America, some say the very oldest. And that’s something to be proud of.

[Applause]

Let’s congratulate this year’s grand marshal, Joel Bibula, for his great work.

[Applause]

And the entire Travis Fourth of July Celebration Committee. Let’s thank them all, especially Chair Janice Blanchard and the vice-chairs, Mary Lu Hayes and John Dalton.

[Applause]

All the community leaders that helped make this possible, but let’s especially thank all of the veterans and all of the active service members here with us today.

[Applause]

Thank you to all of our elected officials. We’ve got the attorney general of New York State, Eric Schneiderman, with us. Our borough president, Jimmy Oddo, District Attorney Dan Donovan, Congressman Michael Grimm, Assembly Member Mike Cusick. All of the elected officials, we thank them for their good work.

This is a day – it’s not just parades. We all know this. It’s not just parades, it’s not just barbecues, it’s not just time with family. It’s a time to think about what this country is about. It’s a time to remember the blessings of liberty that people fought for for generations. Never take that lightly. Never forget that people made decisions every point along the way to fight for their liberty. And it was never easy.

And by the way, a very important historical moment happened right here on Staten Island, September 11, 1776. September 11 here in Staten Island that year, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, representing the emergent American nation, met with the British Admiral Richard Howe. The Revolutionary War was not going well for the Americans at that point. Things did not look good. And so the British offered a helpful suggestion. They said to the Americans, ‘Surrender on our terms. Surrender and give up everything you have.’ It was a tough moment, but Franklin and Adams told them they would rather fight. The American people would rather fight for freedom, no matter what it took. And because of their strength, because of their fortitude, we enjoy the blessings of liberty today. That’s what happened here in Staten Island, a decisive moment for the fight for freedom.

[Applause]

And by the way, if you haven’t been there, the manor where this happened is called the Staten Island Peace Conference Center. It’s not – excuse me, known as the conference house. And it still stands and you can visit it and see this incredibly important moment in history. So this parade represents so much we love about this community and about our city, our country, but it also reminds us to always be good citizens, to always participate in our democracy, to always be thankful for the liberty we have. It didn’t come easily. People fought for it, they maintained it, and that’s why our way of life is as great as it is.

In the meantime, I want to say to everyone this is a glorious day. We’re going to keep working to keep the rain away. Let’s have a beautiful parade today and god bless you all, thank you.