Exclusive: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Shares Juneteenth Message

New York City has the largest Black population in the United States, with nearly two million African Americans calling the city home, according to Census data. But while they make up 20 percent of the city’s overall population, many Black New Yorkers feel left out as the rising cost of living and federal rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives force them to make difficult choices to make ends meet.

But as the city prepares to celebrate Juneteenth, its newly elected mayor wants to give Black residents a reason to have hope. The Root spoke exclusively with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who shared his message to Black New Yorkers on his first Juneteenth as mayor.

Mamdani, who ran for office on a platform of inclusivity, has prioritized addressing issues like affordable housing, food security and universal childcare to make living and working easier for families and working-class people who feel they are being priced out of the city. The mayor told The Root that this Juneteenth, he wants all New Yorkers to understand what an important role Black people have played in building and maintaining the city.

“Juneteenth is an opportunity to recognize the immense contributions of Black New Yorkers to the tapestry of this city and to the fact that you cannot tell the story of the city without telling the story of Black New Yorkers,” he said.

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Although he admits that progress has been made, Mamdani acknowledges that there is still a long way to go to right the wrongs of the past that have created racial inequities in the city he was elected to lead.

“As we celebrate the history of a freedom that was so hard won, we also acknowledge the many freedoms that still have to be won, especially here in the most expensive city in the United States of America, the work that still has to be done to ensure that black New Yorkers can continue to write Black history in the city,” he said.

In his first 100 days in office, Mamdani has already rolled out capital improvement projects, housing initiatives and a free child care and learning program for the city’s 2-year-olds. He told The Root that he’s just getting started on his work to create a more equitable New York.

“It’s not just something we look on as a part of our past, but also a part of our present and our future, because we know that while every New Yorker is struggling with the cost of living crisis, the impact of it is not born evenly,” he said. “My administration is laser-focused today and every day on how we can deliver the affordability agenda to keep people in the city.”