In an evening full of salsa dancing, pastries and wine, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams last night threw open the doors of Brooklyn Borough Hall in Downtown Brooklyn to celebrate Latino Heritage.
The packed event, which drew Latinos from around the borough and beyond also included an awards ceremony of Latino community members. The Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and City Council Majority Leader Laurie A. Cumbo co-hosted the event.
“This is my second year coming to this event and it’s really amazing to see how many Latino’s are recognized by the Borough President for the hard work they put in every day,” said Edwin Elias, a Mexican-Salvadorian who moved from Los Angeles to New York four years ago.
Francisco Sanchez a radio host of Alma, Corazon y Vida (Spirit, Heart and Life), Carlos Ramos an NYPD officer who organized a Mexican pride event and Sergio Rinaldi an electrical engineer were all presented with the Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Award.
Ana Rivera, President of ARC Cleaning Services, was presented with the Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of The Year Award.
“All of the honorees and all of the people that are here today worked so very hard to make this world, America, and New York City a better place. And I know, you’re like me. We work so hard at making the world a better place that we often don’t get to enjoy the very world that we are making a better place,” said Cumbo.
Both Adams and Cumbo ripped President Donald Trump for his hateful remarks about Latinos, “And in this particular political era it’s so important that we continue to raise our voices, to raise the voices of all the immigrants that make New York City what it is and to continue to contribute to this society. Our president has been so harmful, so destructive and so deceive that events like this are so critical because we raise our voices, we come together, we unite and we do it right here in Borough Hall,” said Cumbo.
Adams reminded attendees that you do not win hatred with hated, you win hatred with love.
“History has shown good triumphs over evil all the time. It was evil that had African-Americans slaves in this country and we won. It was evil that put Jewish representatives in gas chambers in Nazi Germany and they won. It was evil that denied Chinese Americans to ride the railroad system after they built a cross-continental railroad system and they won,” said Adams.
“So we must win in that same magnitude, I want to remember that in the most darkest moments in American History that I did not become what Trump became. I became a dignified individual that fought in a dignified manner and I won in a dignified manner,” he added.
