Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It's safe to say that for many of us, this past week has been one of great shock, bewilderment and trepidation. We unfortunately are now left to question the direction of our country. The results of last Tuesday's presidential election cannot be taken lightly. A candidate from one of our two major political parties won on a campaign that trumpeted prejudice, discrimination, racism, misogyny and that appealed to a dangerous strand of our country's past that so many of us thought was in the rearview.
As New Yorker, I like many of you, was left to question what road lies before us and how can we drive back the hateful and odious language we've heard over the past year. What I know is this: we must stand up for our fellow Americans and aspiring-Americans at every turn, so that hatred does not permeate a Trump presidency as it did his campaign. Any air it is given grants implied license to bigoted provocateurs, whose terrorism and hate crimes shake our long-held notions of safety from such damaging acts.
Already we have seen an easing of inhibitions the minds of those who fear others that do not look, think or pray as they do. The tenor and rhetoric of the past year has awakened and empowered these thoughts and ill-conceived notions, and it is on us to push back. We must celebrate our differences, our multi-culturalism, our diverse faith systems and we must always seek to lift up the disenfranchised.
New York, a city built by immigrants and that thrives today because of our immensely valuable immigrant populations, is the perfect place to start as we aim to uphold the founding values and philosophy of this nation. We will continue to stand as a model for our country: where working families are respected and cared for by their local government; where we understand that innovation and ingenuity are fostered by differences and dialogue; where we call out discrimination immediately when it rears its ugly head, and join together in times of crises, recognizing the humanity in others as we lend our helping hand.
In this vein, I would be pleased if you would attend two events that will serve tremendously as we aim to chart a new course, made evermore urgent by these recent events.
The first is a forum to discuss the rights of workers in the workplace, an area we have had to fight for Uptown and across the city, made more important by the uncertainty in our future. This event is co-sponsored by Stoll, Glickman & Bellina LLP, the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrants' Rights and Community Board 12, alongside my office.
The second (below) is an event I mentioned in my State of the District Address that I think has become more prescient since. On November 20th, I will join the Hebrew Tabernacle and a diverse range of faith institutions uptown in an Interfaith Celebration of Thanksgiving, where we will celebrate the beautiful differences that make us a stronger community. We expect a major outpouring of love and celebration, aimed at building a brighter tomorrow.
I hope to see you at each of these events as we join together against the hatred and intolerance we've seen and that we hope to prevent going forward. I am heartened by the community we have in Northern Manhattan. It gives me hope that we will be the drivers of the changes we seek and that together, we will win a future of tolerance, of love and of hope, regardless of how bleak today may seem.
Sincerely,
Ydanis Rodriguez
Council Member
Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill
