By Vernon Verdree
Photos: YouTube Screenshots|Wikimedia Commons
As Zohran Kwame Mamdani has settled into his position as New York City’s Mayor, one thing has become certainly clear…he is a man of moral convictions, who is willing to stand by his words and “Speak Truth to Power.”
Two recent declarations from the Mayor, and the response from corporate media, highlight why it is so important for a “critically thinking activist with a left of center worldview” to hold this position during these times.
In mid-July, I attended the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s inaugural “The Nelson Mandela Global Leadership Forum,” which featured Mayor Mamdani as the keynote speaker. Mayor Mamdani gave an impassioned, and personalized account, of what Nelson Mandela meant to him, as well as what Mandela meant to the people of South Africa, and to all people around the world that have fought against oppression, and for their liberation.
The Mayor’s love and respect for “Madiba” the person, and “Madiba” the social leader and political activist was clear. The lessons learned from Mandela’s legacy are clearer. Nelson Mandela was a principled leader who stood by his convictions, even when they were unpopular in the eyes of some people around the world. Mandela was for unity and respect for all people, which Mayor Mamdani perfectly summed up by stating, “Solidarity is not perfection.Solidarity is not purity. Solidarity is people choosing one another, sometimes even over themselves. Solidarity, my friends, so often seems impossible, like something that only a mythical figure could make real. And yet, as Madida reminds us, through the life he lived, through the leadership he showed, and through the words he spoke: it always seems impossible until it is done. Let’s do it together.”
Which brings me to another important speech Mayor Mamdani recently gave: where he called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for being a war criminal, on a warrant that was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Netantahu’s actions in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, in Gaza.
It was a bold stance. Especially, since Netanyahu will presumably be in New York City, for the United Nations General Assembly, which is held annually, in late September. Mayor Mamdani made his case in a powerful condemnation of Netanyahu.
Predictably, the corporate media (local and national) was very loud in its response, in contrast to the silence given to Mamdani’s speech in praise of Nelson Mandela and the principles he stood for, one of which was his support of the Palestinian people and their fight against the oppression from the Israeli government.
Black Star News will continue to cover Mayor Mamdani’s administration as he addresses local, national, and international issues, that effect the community here in New York City, and as he continues to serve the people, and as he continues to have the courage to “Speak Truth To Power.”
