As we have now sworn in Mayor Zohran Mamdani, I write as a Black civic leader who believes deeply in this city and in the people who keep it running. This moment demands more than optimism or symbolism. It demands clarity, courage and action for Black New Yorkers, and for the Latino communities whose futures are inseparable from ours.
From Southeast Queens to Central Brooklyn, Harlem to the Bronx, and across immigrant neighborhoods citywide, working families are under relentless pressure. The question before this administration is not whether these challenges exist, but whether City Hall is prepared to confront them honestly and urgently.
For us, the affordability crisis has always been one of the most immediate and unforgiving threats. Black families who have anchored neighborhoods for generations are being displaced, joined now by Latino families facing the same fate. Rising rents, foreclosures, deed theft and a shrinking supply of affordable housing are hollowing out neighborhoods and pushing residents farther from jobs, schools and support networks. Housing cannot be treated as a market abstraction – it is a civil rights issue and an economic justice issue. The Mamdani administration must work in partnership with Gov. Kathy Hochul to expand the city’s core through transportation and infrastructure investments, protect homeowners from predatory schemes and create real, attainable pathways to homeownership for families long excluded from wealth-building opportunities.
Economic insecurity compounds these challenges. Black unemployment remains persistently higher than national averages, while Black and Latino workers are disproportionately concentrated in essential but underpaid sectors – health care support, construction, hospitality, transportation and city services. Too many of these jobs lack benefits, stability or pathways to advancement. At the same time, Black- and Latino-owned small businesses continue to struggle for access to capital, affordable commercial space and city contracts. Economic development cannot be reduced to ribbon cuttings and pilot programs. It must be measured by procurement equity, expanded financial opportunity and workforce pipelines that lead to long-term careers – not temporary relief.
Education may be the most consequential test of this administration’s leadership. Black and Latino students now make up the majority of New York City’s public school system, yet achievement gaps persist, particularly for English Language Learners and students in chronically under-resourced schools. Overcrowded classrooms, outdated facilities and insufficient guidance counseling are not inevitable – they are the result of policy choices. The administration must be willing to challenge entrenched systems and insist that all stakeholders serve as true partners and advocates for children. Investments in early childhood education, bilingual instruction, culturally responsive curricula and modern school infrastructure are essential if we are serious about breaking cycles of inequality rather than managing them. Twenty-first century models like an extended school day and the implementation of year-round school must be on the table.
Public safety and quality of life demand balance and trust. Our communities want safe streets, reliable transit and responsive city services. We reject both neglect and over-policing. True public safety requires accountability, consistency and genuine partnership with communities – not one-size-fits-all approaches that deepen mistrust and erode legitimacy. Rebuilding confidence in public institutions will require leadership that listens before acting and measures success by trust restored, not headlines generated.
Health disparities and environmental injustice further underscore the urgency of this moment. Black and Latino New Yorkers are far more likely to live near highways, industrial corridors and aging public housing, leading to higher rates of asthma, chronic illness and reduced life expectancy. These inequities rarely dominate political debates, yet they quietly shape generational outcomes. Addressing them requires sustained investment, cross-agency coordination and the political will to prioritize communities that have long been treated as afterthoughts.
Mr. Mayor, symbolism will not be enough. Appointments, slogans and press conferences cannot substitute for results. Black New Yorkers are not asking for special treatment – we are demanding fair treatment, equal investment and meaningful partnership. The future of this city depends on whether this administration is willing to confront hard truths and govern with urgency, equity and accountability. And there are many New Yorkers like myself who are willing to assist in any way we can to help the administration achieve these goals.
