Bravo, Mayor‑Elect Mamdani. You did the thing every polished campaign dreams of: you won New York City. You crossed borough lines, captured urban whispers, and assembled the coalition that cleared your path to Gracie Mansion. You even picked up a few extra votes along the way. What you did not do — and this is the part that will live in political highlight reels for precisely no one’s benefit — was thank, name, or otherwise meaningfully acknowledge the very Black voters whose support, though “small” in tally, was still a vote. Cute.
Even cuter: you found time in that same speech to praise immigrants who have flourished here — immigrants whose opportunities were built, in large part, on the backs of enslaved Black labor. That’s a historical footnote you read from the script, not a line you actually meant. Credit the immigrants, ignore the enslaved people whose hands and lives literally helped build this city’s foundations — now that’s tasteful omission. It’s the rhetorical equivalent of handing out awards to people who moved into the house while pretending the foundation was laid by air.
Let’s be honest about what that omission smells like. It isn’t merely a rhetorical stumble; it’s a preview of priorities. Politics loves a good refrain — “unity,” “all New Yorkers,” “moving forward.” It’s a terrifically useful tune when your speechwriter is paid by the line. But music doesn’t build housing, hire teachers, or fund violence interruption programs. And a line in a kickoff address does not equal a line item in the fiscal year budget…