 And I met Assemblywoman. I know that the Guyanese community in which she serve and who support her, that those communities are in good hands. And I have to extend that now because our mayor is here. And Mayor Adams, since my arrival here, as comes the general year goes well, I have always had the pleasure of having your distinguished presence at Guyanese events and that to my mind speaks volumes to your interest in our community as well as the other communities that you are mayor for in this beautiful city. As you know, Assemblywoman and colleagues, as we celebrate this 57th Independence Anniversary, there is an element of poignancy in it because in Guyano, we suffer the loss of 20 beautiful young lives, 20 children, school children, who perhaps were the born to be doctors and lawyers and mayors and Assemblywoman and men perished in an unfortunate fight in one of our secondary schools in our hinterland region. So that in itself had muted somewhat our national celebrations even at home of independence. So I am exceedingly delighted to be able to, in the wake of that tragedy, to join you here today in a more celebratory mood and to extend the greetings from His Excellency, President Muhammad Irfan Ali and the entire government and people of Guyano. I know that Moline Green has a special place in the history of nations who have raised their flags here and I'm happy that here on this occasion to see Guyano's flag being raised here. It is not easy sometimes to look back on what has gone before, but I want to say that Guyano's country has moved and we've come to a point where we all know the oil story as Terry said, the oil story. But so ours is a nation in progress, in transition. And our citizens out here, I believe, our diaspora, as was mentioned earlier, is indeed an important diaspora in this important wheel we call New York City. And your contributions are well known as is represented here by the high officials in our midst here today. And I believe that that is something you should be proud of, that your efforts to help to build this city are not going in vain and that the support you get from your leaders and vice versa the support you give to them. So I wouldn't want to stand in the way of the honorable mayor or just to say happy 57th Independence anniversary Guyano. And thanks again Assemblywoman for your leadership in this regard and I want to say do enjoy the rest of the proceedings. Thank you so much to our Honorable Council General, Ambassador Brotherson. Let's give him a round of applause. Thank you, Leader Romeo Hiplal, the Hanuman of our community. Do we love Romeo? Thank you to the Ozone Park, South Richmond Hill Lines Club, the NYPD, Desi Society. I am so proud to be a representative of a remarkable corner of the world, Little Guyana Queens. And my district was built by generations of Guyanese immigrants who sought to create a new life in our country. And Guyanese Americans are proof that you can make it without almost anything. For decades this community has shown us that it doesn't matter what you have in your pocket, nor who may be in your corner. What matters is your willingness to pursue and overcome. And these two are my own family's values, perseverance, hard work, diligence, and a vision of freedom and justice for all. So we gathered here today with the great Mayor Eric Adams, the leader of this great city, beneath the spread of our flag, the Golden Arrowhead. And today we commemorate the 57th anniversary of Guyanese independence. Let us be guided by the spirit of Guyanese National Pledge, one nation, one people, one destiny. We have stood united as one people on a tragic fire, tragically killed 20 Guyanese children. We stood together to ensure that Little Guyana Avenue was created in Richmond Hill. And we have stood together as one people in the fight for the Diwali school holiday. This has been a historic week. This week, against all odds, I passed my historic bill in the state legislature, establishing once and for all and forever the Diwali school holiday in New York City. We achieved the Diwali school holiday after the Guyanese community fought for it for over 20 years. Many of you here today join me in Albany for this fight. And we could not have achieved that victory without our great leader, Mayor Eric Adams. The mayor lifted up our community like no other leader has. And he was relentless in his support, saying that Diwali must be a school holiday in this city. So in the heart of Queens, we've created Little Guyana, a beloved microcosm of Guyanese, right in our city. And it is a place where our traditions live on. Our culture is celebrated. Our values are upheld. On the streets, you can hear the rhythm of Soka and Reggae. And you can find roti and curry to eat. And you can find doubles to eat. And Mayor Eric Adams is part of this community. He has come to our community more than any leader has ever come to our community. He's one of us lifting up our community just as he lifts up all immigrant communities in this city. He truly sees us. He truly understands us. So thank you, Mayor Adams, for lifting the Golden Arrowhead, the flag of Guyanese above New York City. And this is a historic day because this is the first time a mayor has ever lifted the Guyanese flag above our city. So with that, I'm so proud to introduce to you the 110th Mayor of the City of New York, Eric Adams. Thank you. Thank you so much. And great job on behalf of the entire community and your relentless pursuit to ensure that duali was a holiday. It was a difficult task when you think about it, but you were able to accomplish. That's what effective leadership is about. And to the Council General, I know that we have been raising this flag for 15 years. It took 110 mayors before the mayors actually here to raise it with you because I see this community like I see all of our different ethnic and immigrant communities throughout the city. That is what makes us great. That is why people come to these shores in the beginning process of pursuing the American dream. Your contribution to the city in all areas of profession, from small businesses to our medical institutions, to schools, to law enforcement, to just providing the health and well-being of the city speaks value. I'm so proud to be here at Bowling Green as we raise the flag of your 57 years of independence. And we know that, no matter what anyone states, Guyanese community, this is the center of the universe, the largest Guyanese population in the entire country is right here in New York City. So thank you for what you have done, what you are doing, and as we move forward towards the future of what this city is going to be. New York City is not coming back. New York City is back, and it's back because of you. Thank you so much. And so all those who are on the line to take photos by the bowl, we only ask them to do one thing, spend money while you're here. Spend a lot of money. Thank you. Happy 57 Independence Day.