NYC Council Member Amanda Farias

🏆 STILL can’t get over yesterday. 🔥🔥🔥

Standing on with my colleagues in government, orange and blue confetti everywhere, and my MS 127 students right there too — New York really had ALL of us outside. It was loud, it was proud, and it felt like one of those moments the city is going to be talking about for a long time.

Today, we commemorate Juneteenth as a day of freedom, history, reflection, and celebration.

Juneteenth marks the day (June 18, 1865) when enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas were finally informed of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Their freedom was delayed, but the fight for justice continued.

As we honor Juneteenth, we celebrate Black history, Black leadership, Black culture, and Black joy. We carry that legacy forward by fostering communities where justice is protected, dignity is respected, and opportunity is within reach for every generation.

On the anniversary of ’s birthday (June 16, 1971) we gathered in the Council Chambers for Gun Violence Awareness Month, Healing Through Culture: Art, Activism & Community.

The program brought together Council Members, community partners, violence prevention leaders, artists, performers, advocates, and the Shakur family to honor the lives impacted by gun violence while lifting up the people doing the work of prevention, healing, and community-building every day.

I was proud to introduce guest speaker April Walker, a cultural architect whose work helped define hip-hop’s visual identity and showed how creativity from our communities can become legacy, opportunity, and a pathway for the next generation.

Thank you to Deputy Speaker Dr. Nantasha Williams, all of the participating Council Members, honorees, performers, CMS groups, and community partners who helped make this event so meaningful.

I had the privilege of joining , , Dr. Debbie Almontaser, Bridging Cultures Group, , and the An-Nisa Women’s Fellowship at .

We spoke about what it means for women to enter public life with our communities, our values, and our lived experiences fully intact. Leadership starts with core values like conviction, courage, and the willingness to use your voice in service of something much larger than yourself.

As Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity, I am proud to continue supporting spaces that strengthen civic engagement, confront hate, and remind young women that they belong wherever decisions are being made.

I had the privilege of joining , , Dr. Debbie Almontaser, Bridging Cultures Group, , and the An-Nisa Women’s Fellowship at .

We spoke about what it means for women to enter public life with our communities, our values, and our lived experiences fully intact. Leadership starts with core values like conviction, courage, and the willingness to use your voice in service of something much larger than yourself. As Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity, I am proud to continue supporting spaces that strengthen civic engagement and confront hate.

I was proud to join our partners at The Door for the opening of the Bronx Youth Drop-In Center. Opportunity cannot be exclusive, and too often, young people face obstacles that go unaccounted for as they work to build stability and move toward their future.

Our partners at The Door help bridge that gap. This center is what investment should look like when it is shaped by the real needs of young people and carried out by partners who know how to reach them, especially with 24 hour access to the center.

Congratulations to The Door, the Bronx Youth Center team, and everyone who worked to help all the pieces fall into place.

Our District Office will be closed on Friday, June 19, 2026 in observance of Juneteenth.

We will reopen on Monday at 9:00 AM and respond to phone calls and emails that morning. For city services, parking is suspended, schools are closed, and trash, recycling, and compost collection are suspended.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.



Nuestra Oficina de Distrito estará cerrada el viernes, 19 de junio de 2026, en conmemoración de Juneteenth.

Reabriremos el lunes a las 9:00 a.m. y responderemos llamadas y correos electrónicos esa misma mañana. Para servicios de la Ciudad, el estacionamiento estará suspendido, las escuelas estarán cerradas y la recolección de basura, reciclaje y compostaje estará suspendida.

Gracias por su paciencia y comprensión.



অনুগ্রহ করে লক্ষ্য করুন: জুনটিন্থ উপলক্ষে আমাদের ডিস্ট্রিক্ট অফিস শুক্রবার, ১৯ জুন, ২০২৬ বন্ধ থাকবে।

আমরা সোমবার সকাল ৯:০০টায় পুনরায় খুলব এবং সেই সকালেই ফোন কল ও ইমেইলের উত্তর দেব। সিটি পরিষেবার ক্ষেত্রে, পার্কিং স্থগিত থাকবে, স্কুল বন্ধ থাকবে, এবং আবর্জনা, রিসাইক্লিং ও কম্পোস্ট সংগ্রহ স্থগিত থাকবে।

আপনাদের ধৈর্য ও সহযোগিতার জন্য ধন্যবাদ।

I was glad to join Synergy Prep for the 2026 Awards Mela, celebrating our specialized high school honorees right here in .

Congratulations to every honoree recognized at Golden Palace Banquet Hall, and thank you to Synergy Prep for continuing to invest in our students and help open doors to opportunity.

Tomorrow, Faith in Action is happening at St. Peter’s Church, and I really hope you’ll join us! RSVP using the link in my bio.

I’m proud to be hosting alongside the Interfaith Center of New York and Hands Off NYC for this community conversation on how faith inspires immigration advocacy. Join us tomorrow, Thursday, June 18 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at St. Peter’s Church, 2500 Westchester Avenue.

My office was happy to visit LEAP’s Cultural Immigrant Initiative at P.S. 100X and see students host a performance that captured what they learned in their arts and cultural programming in the classroom.

Through activities like dance, storytelling, language, and history, students had the opportunity to explore different cultural traditions and learn more about the diverse backgrounds represented in their school community.

Thank you to LEAP, the teaching artists, school staff, students, and families for integrating this program into the curriculum at P.S. 100X. My office is proud to fund LEAP’s work and support initiatives that expand access to arts and cultural education for students.