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This week, I marched in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others to call for racial justice with Archbishop Elpidophoros, the national leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, and Borough President Eric Adams. We marched with the spirit of Archbishop Iakovos, who in 1965, marched at Selma.

We will continue to march until we fulfill our human creed that all people are created equal.

I won’t pretend for a second that I have all the answers, but I wanted to share some of my thoughts about this moment we’re in.

Earlier this week I read something that really stuck with me: [link removed]

"Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air."

There is pain, fear, and anguish expressed over the treatment of Black Americans in New York City and across the country. We live in a time and place where innocent and unarmed Black Americans are killed by police officers, by neighbors, by gun-toting vigilantes, and by an unseen virus that disproportionately afflicts the most oppressed and vulnerable among us.

We need to acknowledge these realities and do more than just shake our heads in joint lament over this state of affairs. We must act.

Change will not come by solidarity tweets and feel-good posts. Change will come by being vigilant and diligent in undoing the root causes of racism and systematic oppression that has devalued the lives of Black Americans for far too long.

Black lives matter.

This week, I’ll be going back to Albany to vote on some reforms that will start to, but in no way fully, address the moment that we’re in, including repealing the law that shields the disciplinary records of police officers who use excessive or abusive force. I wrote some thoughts about this week’s vote that I want to share with you.

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But passing laws alone won’t be enough to solve this. Our city, and our country, are in a state of crisis. And while we’ve all known that the lack of leadership in The White House is and has been debilitating, the events of the past week have demonstrated a total lack of confidence in the leadership of our city. This is magnified by the ongoing issues related to COVID-19, but also predates the health crisis we’re in.

There needs to be full accountability by the Mayor and the NYPD over what has transpired in our city this week.

A city at its best is a living, breathing ecosystem. It’s clear that our city’s ecosystem is sick and needs healing. This moment inevitably challenges me to reflect on how I can help address some of these issues I’ve highlighted. My commitment to you is that I will listen, learn, and strive to do all I can to help heal our city.

With every good wish,

Andrew

P.S. As we continue to fight for racial justice in this city and across the United States, I encourage everyone to continue protecting themselves against COVID-19. This week, Governor Cuomo declared anyone in New York can now receive a COVID-19 test. [[link removed]] This is an important move, particularly as we have thousands across our state on the ground peacefully assembling for justice.


PAID FOR BY ANDREW FOR NEW YORK

Andrew for New York
725 70th Street
Apt C1
Brooklyn, NY 11228
United States

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