BY JAIDA DENT
Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was lit up in an array of colors and flags at the 58th Annual West Indian American Day Parade on September 1. The parade stretched from Utica Ave up Eastern Parkway and ended at Grand Army Plaza. The event attracts thousands of New Yorkers across several backgrounds who come out to celebrate and represent their cultures. Among the crowds were several New York elected officials, including the candidates in the upcoming mayoral election.
“I am the child of parents who immigrated here from their respective Caribbean countries and I was born and raised in Brooklyn. This was my first time experiencing the parade as an adult and it was beautiful to see my community come together to celebrate the liberation and love for our home countries,” said Jahleisa Rolle, a Brooklyn native of Trindadian and Jamaican descent.
Several labor unions participated in the parade, including United Federation of Teachers (UFT), New York States Nurses Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the TWU Local 100, which is a chapter union of the Transport Workers Unions of America. Local 100 represents those who work and operate the NYC Public Transportation System. Members of the union walked in the parade accompanied by a float and a MTA Bus to follow them.
“It’s a very important thing to be out here to let the people in New York City see the 34,000 members moving in New York City’s bus and trains […] We are New Yorkers. We run the show and we love New Yorkers,” said Peter Madden Sr., a member of the union for 26 years.
The parade also saw the NYC mayoral candidates show up and join in on the celebration. Incumbent mayor Eric Adams (I), Zohran Mamdani (D), Curtis Sliwa (R), and former Governor, Andrew Cuomo (I) all walked through the parade flanked by supporters and posters. The West Indian American Day marks a two-month countdown to election day, and allows the candidates to be seen in a community they hope to serve.
“It is important because it allows the younger generation and the older to be informed of their choices. We see a lot of the older generation backing Cuomo because the name is familiar, and sometimes familiarity is all that is needed, but as Mandani takes the streets, he is making sure the [people] most affected are aware that they have a choice for a better NYC and a preservation of the culture they uphold,” said Rolle.
While each candidate received support and cheers from others involved in the parade, spectators outside the barricades were more focused on the festivities, than current politics. Other attendees walked with candidates in the parade as a means to be a part of the event safely.
“I’m only here because this is the safest way for me to be on the parkway. I don’t necessarily support the mayor,” said Barbara, a city worker who preferred not to give her last name.
Outside of the support from the New York residents, the candidates are looking forward to seeing who will be endorsed by Governor Kathy Hochul. Though who she may endorse is unclear, she has stated that Mamdani has reached out to her to talk about the future and key issues.
“We’ve had some candid conversations about his leadership and where the city could go,” Hochul said at the parade. “He is the candidate who has reached out to me to talk about these things. Let’s leave it at that.”