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North The Indian Eye

AMERICANNewsline

24 JULY 10, 2026

Mayor Mamdani Marks

America’s 250th Anniversary with

Call for Inclusive Democracy

OUR BUREAU
New York, NY
ew York City Mayor Zohran
Mamdani used his address
Nmarking the 250th anniver-
sary of American independence to
celebrate the nation’s immigrant heri-
tage while urging Americans to renew
their commitment to equality, democ-
racy and inclusion.
Speaking from City Hall ahead
of the Fourth of July celebrations,
Mamdani reflected on the nation’s
history, describing the United States
as an ongoing “grand experiment in
self-governance” that continues to
evolve through the contributions of
successive generations of immigrants
and citizens.
The mayor said the semi quin-
centennial offered Americans an op-
portunity not only to celebrate the for independence. exceptional because here, nothing is through acts of service, civic participa-
country’s achievements but also to ex- He also highlighted the story of fixed into place,” he said, encouraging tion and solidarity.
amine its shortcomings and recommit James Weeks, a formerly enslaved Black newly naturalized citizens attending Responding to the common re-
themselves to the ideals enshrined in American who established the historic the ceremony to help define the coun- frain of “love it or leave it,” Mamdani
the Declaration of Independence. Weeksville community in Brooklyn try’s future. argued that patriotism requires con-
“Two hundred and fifty years pres- after New York abolished slavery, The mayor also used the occasion fronting the nation’s flaws rather than
ents a rare opportunity for more than calling it an example of how ordinary to criticize what he described as grow- ignoring them.
340 million people to turn togeth- people shaped the nation’s future. ing inequality and policies rooted in “Patriotism has never been about
er—both towards one another and Mamdani paid tribute to the exclusion. He warned against efforts pretending our nation is without
towards ourselves, to take measure of many immigrant communities that ar- to divide Americans based on race, flaws,” he said, adding that the coun-
who we are as a nation,” he said. rived in New York over the centuries, religion, immigration status or back- try’s progress has always been driven
Tracing New York City’s evolution including Irish, Chinese, Jewish, Ital- ground, arguing that such politics con- by those willing to challenge injustice.
from Indigenous Lenape settlements ian, Syrian, West Indian, South Asian tradict the nation’s founding principles. Concluding his remarks, the may-
through waves of European explora- and West African migrants. Despite Without naming specific political or revisited the events of July 1776,
tion and immigration, Mamdani de- facing restrictive immigration laws, leaders, Mamdani condemned an- when George Washington had the
scribed the city as a symbol of Amer- prejudice and economic hardship, ti-immigrant rhetoric and criticized Declaration of Independence read
ica’s promise of renewal. He noted they transformed the city into one of immigration enforcement practices aloud to New Yorkers as British forc-
that while generations of immigrants the world’s most diverse metropolitan that he said have created fear in immi- es prepared to invade the city. He said
encountered discrimination, pover- centers, he said. grant communities. He also spoke out that despite the uncertainty of that mo-
ty and exclusion, they nevertheless Reflecting on his own journey, against widening economic inequality, ment, Americans united around the
helped build the nation’s largest city. Mamdani, who immigrated to the corporate influence in politics and ideals of liberty and self-government.
The mayor recalled pivotal mo- United States with his family as a child what he described as an erosion of “As America celebrates 250 years
ments in American history, including and later became a naturalized Amer- democratic values. of independence, those founding ide-
the Revolutionary War, when George ican citizen, said America’s strength At the same time, he praised als remain strong enough to withstand
Washington’s forces retreated across lies not in military or economic power ordinary Americans—from health- any challenge,” Mamdani said, urging
the East River after the Battle of alone but in its ability to continually care workers and parents to voters citizens to continue striving toward a
Brooklyn, preserving the Continental expand opportunity. and community volunteers—for em- more perfect union and a nation that
Army and keeping alive the struggle “The truth... is that America is bodying the country’s highest ideals lives up to its founding promise

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