Celebrating New York City’s Rich Ethnic Diversity
by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

No city on earth can match New York’s rich ethnic diversity; we’re truly the world’s second home. If you need proof of that, let me tell you about some things I did last week: I walked along Madison Avenue to commemorate Mexican Independence Day, then took a trip to Little Italy, where the San Gennaro festival was celebrated. On Saturday, I was the grand marshal of the Steuben Day Parade that honored our city’s long and rich German heritage. And last week, the Minister of Health for the Republic of Ireland paid a call at City Hall—a reminder of the centuries-old link between his nation and our city.

Wave after wave of immigrants have shaped New York, weaving themselves into the fabric of city life and writing their own American success stories by working hard and playing by the rules. Today, some 36% of New Yorkers are immigrants, and that percentage is growing. Their contributions make us stronger, and they always have been, and always will be, welcome here.

Last Wednesday, September 17th was National Citizenship Day. That same afternoon, it was my privilege to join scores of new citizens—immigrants from around the world—as they took the oath of citizenship at a ceremony at the Javits Convention Center. It reminded me of another ceremony, two weeks ago: the one at the World Trade Center site commemorating the second anniversary of 9/11. All morning long that day, children read the names of the nearly 2,800 people from 92 countries who perished in that terrible attack. There were Haitian kids reading Italian names…Russian kids reading Hispanic names…Japanese kids reading Greek names. It was a reminder of what New York is all about. Those kids—and our new citizens—are New York’s future. They’re what make us the greatest city in the world.#

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