On Sunday, April 12, Zohran Mamdani delivered a speech reflecting on his first one hundred days as New York City’s mayor. Jacobin reprints his remarks here.
It is a Sunday night in New York City. And while some prepare for the week ahead, for many, the workday has only just begun.
Tonight, in the northern reaches of the Bronx, an MTA train operator is guiding a 2 train out of Wakefield. Before that train reaches its final stop in Flatbush, it will drop off New York City Health and Hospitals nurses at 135th Street, NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) maintenance workers at 96th Street, CUNY staff at Franklin Avenue–Medgar Evers College. From the Power Control Center at 53rd Street, engineers will manage its path through a vast network of signals. And at every stop, at every hour of the night, the people of New York City will get off the subway and go to work.
This city does not run by accident. New York City is the greatest city in the world because of the millions of people who labor tirelessly each and every day to make it so. What an immense honor it is to be your mayor. To not simply lead you, but to learn from you.
One hundred two days ago, we stood together on the steps of city hall, bracing ourselves against the bitter cold. One hundred two days ago, we stood together at the dawn of a new era. The world watched, wondering if change could really come. Across the five boroughs, New Yorkers waited to see if a city hall powered by the people could truly govern for the people.
There were cynics then, just as there are cynics now. Some said that once the hard work began, we would forget the movement of working people that rewrote what was possible in this city. Others warned that the Left could debate but could never deliver. Socialists might be able to win a campaign, they said, but we could never advance an agenda.
Far more wanted to believe but didn’t know how. Because for too long, city hall had not just failed to meet expectations, it had lowered…
Auteur: Zohran Mamdani
