Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts Reception to Celebrate Native American Heritage

November 20, 2024

Commissioner Sideya Sherman, Office of Equity and Racial Justice: Hello, good evening everyone. Alright, I know everyone's having a good time. And I'll be brief. My name is Sideya Sherman, and I'm with the Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice. It's really, really an honor to be here tonight. I echo Commissioner Palma's remarks from earlier. This is a beautiful room, and this is a beautiful celebration. And I'm so, so thankful to be here with you tonight to celebrate Indigenous culture and history. 

As we celebrate 400 years of the anniversary of our great city, we must always remember that Indigenous communities were stewards of this city and of this land long before all of us. For centuries, the Lenape people and other Indigenous peoples across our country have developed thriving societies with deep connections to the land, advanced systems of governance, and rich cultural traditions. 

The contributions of Indigenous communities and people have helped shape who we are today. And it's crucial that we continue to teach this history and embrace a more expansive understanding of the American story, recognizing and respecting all contributions. I proudly serve as New York City's first chief equity officer, but the work I do is not new. 

Indigenous communities and knowledge systems have long recognized the importance of equity and sustainability, fostering practices that are increasingly relevant today and offer us strategies for confronting many of our global challenges. So today we stand together, not only to reflect on the past, but to do the ongoing work that's needed to decolonize our thinking, as well as decolonizing our understanding of American history, culture, and progress. 

Only by confronting our past, building mutual understanding, building connection through our shared experiences, can we continue to push our city forward. And so as we celebrate this evening and we enjoy these amazing festivities, let us be guided by a commitment to inclusion over exclusion, to truth over erasure, and to honoring the living, evolving cultures of Indigenous people across our city and our country. And so with that, it is my great honor to introduce our mayor, the 110th mayor of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams. Thank you.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much. And I think what the commissioner is saying, I want to thank the commissioner for the work that she's doing and the commissioner of Human Rights that's here as well. 

You know, many years ago when I was a young rookie police officer, one of my colleagues learned later in life that her mother was not her mother. That her mother that she was raised with, she learned that– removed her from the hospital. And her true mother never had the opportunity to experience her. 

They kept her away from her. And when she became of age, she was so used to, as any child would do, that was nurtured by a parent, that she identified the woman who kidnapped her as her natural mother. And when her real mother found her, she was unwilling to embrace her. And that's where we are in our life journey. 

There have been so many lies that we have heard and we have experienced. And instead of, as the commissioner stated, instead of go seeking the truth and being honest by the truth, many of us would rather embrace those who colonized and those who kidnapped and those who distorted and those who destroyed. We owe it to our ancestors. It doesn't matter if it's here in New York City with what the Lenapes are fighting for, or what I experienced when I stood on the shores of Africa and looked out the door of no return, realizing that the countless number of our ancestors were pulled from our motherland and put in the halls of slave ships to come to the South, Central America, Brazil and other parts. And many of us are uncles and aunties and cousins and nephews. 

But because of the colonization that experienced, we are now denying our existence. And I say no to that. And as the mayor, my role as mayor is to be substantive and symbolic. The substantive aspect is I must make the city safe. I must educate the children. I must do all the things that we return in our economy and make sure that this city continues to thrive and grow. But there's a level of symbolism. The symbolic aspect is just as important. 

The number of countries that were able to raise their flags down at Bowling Green for the first time ever from the time we became mayor. This is the first time you are being celebrated in the diversity of our indigenous people. You are being celebrated right here at Gracie Mansion. That has never happened before. Never happened before. Those who have been locked out are now emerging to make sure that others are not locked out. That's the role that I must carry out. 

And to the young people, don't assimilate to the point that you deny the heritage that you come from. Be proud of it. Fight for it. Stand up for it. You can be part of America without abandoning your culture. And in fact, that's what the country tells you. This is the only country on the globe where you're told do not do away with your culture, but in fact embrace it and stand tall for that. 

Our schools need to give the real history of the contribution of your family members. It needs to tell a real story of how you were displaced off your land and moved and how the Mohawks and others built some of the tall buildings that we see here today. There's a rich culture that you have. But in order to really make sure that culture stays alive and you breathe oxygen into it, you've got to immerse yourself in it. And you must be proud of who you are. That's why I walk and talk the way I do. 

I'm proud of being the second African American mayor in the greatest city on the globe. But this great city is your city. This was your land. And you need to make sure that those who have left your tribes and gone on to become lawyers and other experts, yes, they should ensure that their lives are filled with prosperity, but they need to come back and fight for some of those treaties that were denied. Use your legal skills to reclaim what is rightfully yours. That's the goal that we must accomplish. Even Gracie Mansion. That's all right with me. Because as long as you have it, I know I'm going to have a place to sleep. 

And so I want to reflect on a longer history of this land and honor those who lived here before us, including, as I stated, the Lenape tribes who first walked the woodland trail that became Broadway and built a thriving civilization that endured for thousands of years before the Dutch arrival. And during that time when you occupied this land, we didn't have to worry about holes in our ozone layer. 

We didn't have to worry about global warming. We didn't have to worry about the extensions of animal. You took enough to give back. You showed us how to live the right way. And as well as during America's 250th anniversary in 2026 and the 400th anniversary, we're going to ensure that the Lenape's history is part of that. That is my responsibility and obligation. 

New York City is rich in Native American history and culture and an immigrant community that includes the indigenous people from Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Guatemala, as well as Dominicans, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans who identify with their rich Indian heritage. Our indigenous people have contributed so much more than history. And so those who come here from distant shores must realize that they are all part of this family that we are celebrating today here at Gracie Mansion. You grace us with your presence. You grace us with what you do. And over 200,000 New Yorkers of Native American ancestry will continue to be part of New York's story. 

Tonight, we gather here to celebrate our long history, our shared future, and I want to honor Lenape Nation, not just for their contribution to our city, but their creating it in the first place. You are the original New Yorkers and you are here to stay. And as long as I am mayor, I'm going to lift up and proudly acknowledge what you have done for this city and for this country. 
 

Congratulations to you on this proclamation. This proclamation is going to be placed here at Gracie Mansion so those who walk through will see how important it is to our city and it states in the conclusion, whereas we work to provide a better tomorrow for New Yorkers, it is essential that we continue to educate ourselves about and learn lessons from the darkest chapters of the past. The city is taking steps to confront this land's history of colonization, displacement, and genocide and to repair generational harms. We are striving to build bridges between our municipal government and Lenape diaspora communities across the United States and Canada. Native American Heritage Month offers a wonderful opportunity for diverse New Yorkers to deepen our understanding of Native American culture and stand in solidarity with our indigenous partners. 

This proclamation of Lenape Heritage Day, officially recognized New York City, [Lenapehoking], as the ancestral homeland of the Lenape people and it demonstrates our commitment towards a sustained partnership with and support of Lenape communities. Together, we're forging a brighter, more inclusive, and equitable future for all. I, Eric Adams, mayor of the City of New York, also always be known as Lenape Land. Thank you very much.

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