Councilmember Farías on celebrating Feast of San Gennaro and Ferragosto
Councilmember Amanda Farías presents Resolution 82, celebrating the Feast of San Gennaro and Ferragosto Festival in Manhattan's Little Italy and the Bronx's Arthur Avenue. She describes the festivals as living histories of Italian immigrant families and notes it took a year to get the resolution on the calendar.
Good morning and thank you, Chair Williams and the members of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Relations.
I'm Councilmember Amanda Farias and I'm proud.
Apologies.
Proud to be here before you as we vote on my resolution 82.
This resolution would formally recognize and celebrate the Feast of San Gennaro and the Ferragasso
Festival, two key festivals of this city, our Little Italies in Manhattan and the Bronx, and the wider Italian community each September, while simultaneously honoring the contributions of Italian immigrants and Italian Americans to New York City.
These festivals are more than beloved neighborhood traditions.
They can carry forward the histories that Italian families have brought to New York and passed down through generations.
The Feast of San Gennaro has welcomed New Yorkers to many...
Manhattan's Little Italy for over a century, while Ferragosto brings thousands of people together along Arthur Avenue to celebrate the food, music, businesses, culture, and families that have shaped our Bronx communities.
New York City's identity was built by immigrant communities that preserve their traditions while helping shape the city around them.
Resolution 82 recognizes that Italian American history in New York City
is New York City history and ensures that these celebrations remain part of our city's cultural calendar for generations to come.
Thank you to my colleagues who have joined me in sponsoring this resolution and who will join in passage.
It's taken a year to get this on the calendar and I'm really excited to get it done, both for our Italian Americans across the city, but specifically in the Bronx as well.
And I respectfully ask all of my colleagues today in committee to vote yes.
Thank you.
It's because the chair studied abroad in Italy for six months.
I'm just kidding.
It's not why.
All right.
Next up, we have Majority Whip, who would also like to give remarks on her bill.