Good morning and welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations.

At this time, we please ask you to silence all electronic devices.

At no point in time as anyone to approach the front day.

Chair, you may begin.

Good morning.

I am Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams, Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Relations.

Today, the committee will hear and vote on three resolutions.

Resolution number 184, sponsored by Councilmember Fadius, which would declare October 3rd as Korean Cultural Awareness Day annually in the city of New York to commemorate the mythological beginning of the Korean people and to celebrate their continued pride and their shared ancestry.

Resolution number 606, sponsored by Councilmember Althea Stevens, which would declare the month of August is Black Pride Month in the City of New York, recognizing the legacy of New York City Black Pride Movement of uplifting the Black LGBTQIA plus community.

And it's oh, what's the other letter?

Oh.

And it's continuing contributions to creating a more equitable New York City.

And resolution number 607, also sponsored by Councilmember Stevens, which would declare September as African Immigrant Heritage Month in the city of New York to celebrate the contributions made by African immigrants to New York City and the United States.

A very black day mixed with some Korean culture.

We love it.

Okay.

Now oh yeah, the gays too.

We love the gays.

Okay.

Now Councilmember Stevens would like to deliver some remarks on her resolutions.

Thank you, um, Deputy Speaker Um Williams.

Um, and all of my colleagues for recognize the importance of two resolutions and and for understanding that recognize recon recognize recognizing is not simply about placing a name on a calendar, it is about honoring history, culture, and the people who have helped shape New York City.

First, I am proud to support resolution 606 declaring August as Black Pride Month in New York City.

As a representative of the West Bronx, this resolution carries a particular meaning for me.

Black Pride has a history that is deeply connected to New York City.

The first New York City Black Pride event was organized by James Sanders in August 1997, creating space where black LGBTQ IA plus New Yorkers could celebrate their identity, culture, community, and resilience.

And that history continues to have a strong Bronx connection.

Lee Soldiers, a black um, a Bronx native, later founded the New York City for Black Pride, which was continue organizing Black Pride celebrations.

We are recognizing a movement and a community that has helped expand what inclusion and um visibility and belonging looks like in our city.

This year we are proud to bring the celebration of Black Pride through its inaugural Black Pride um celebration that we held in the Bronx.

That was a powerful reminder that the borough is not only a part of this history but continues to help shape the future.

And

I was very proud because my uncle who passed away who I was very close with, he would celebrate Black Pride.

So I'm really excited that we're passing this today.

Approximately 60,000 African immigrants living in the Bronx.

And a lot of that is in the West Bronx, I must say.

Their contributions in our neighborhood businesses, healthcare systems, culture, civic life, and economics are part of the fabric of our city.

Those resolutions remind us that our history is the strongest when we make room to recognize the communities whose stories have too often been overlooked.

I want to thank my colleagues for supporting both resolutions, and I look forward to continuing to celebrate the rich cultural history and contributions that makes New York City great.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Stevens.

I would like to thank my staff and committee staff who worked on preparing for today, including Alejandro, uh Regina, um who drafted one of the resolutions and our outstanding summer intern, Steven, who is now a sophomore at Columbia and Juilliard.

Oh, he's both.

Oh, that's cool.

And who drafted two of the resolutions?

Um, I now open the hearing for public testimony.

I remind members of the public that this is a formal government proceeding and that decorum shall be observed at all times.

As such, members of the public shall remain silent at all times.

The witness table is reserved for people who wish to testify.

No video recording or photography is allowed, is allowed from the witness table.

Further, members of the public may not present audio or video recordings as testimony, but may submit transcripts of such recordings to the sergeant at arms for inclusion in the hearing record.

If you wish to speak today at today's hearing, please fill out an appearance card with the sergeant at arms and wait to be recognized.

When recognized, you will have two minutes to speak on today's hearing topic, which is the legislation I have just outlined.

If you have written statement or additional written testimony you wish to submit for the record, please provide a copy of that testimony to the Sergeant at Arms.

I will now call the witness, and we have a witness.

Oh,

Sadiqi, please come up from the African Advisory Council.

Yay.

As a chair of the African Advisory Council, and has a community leader representing the African immigrant community.

I'm here today to speak in strong support of the resolution 0607, declaring September has African Immigrant Heritage Month.