Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Kicks Off Immigrant Heritage Week With Campaign "Celebrating the City of Immigrants"

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Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Kicks Off Immigrant Heritage Week With Campaign "Celebrating the City of Immigrants"

For Immediate Release: April 16, 2024
Contact: Shaina Coronel, scoronel@cityhall.nyc.gov

New York, NY – Today, Manuel Castro, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, kicks off the 20th annual Immigrant Heritage Week with a campaign Celebrating the City of Immigrants, honoring long time immigrant New Yorkers and recently arrived immigrants.

First launched in 2004 in New York City, Immigrant Heritage Week is a week-long celebration commemorating the 117th anniversary of April 17, 1907, the day in New York City history when the largest number of immigrants – 11,000 – entered the U.S. through Ellis Island.

"New York City is the greatest city in the world because we are the immigrant capital of the world," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "Immigrants are the backbone of what makes our city so unique, and Immigrant Heritage Week celebrates every individual who contributes to the immense diversity of cultures and languages in our city. New York City is proud to be the place for so many to achieve their American Dream."

"Whether you are a first-generation immigrant like me or many generations down the line, you can recognize that our city is made so vibrant because of our diversity attracting people from all over the world to NYC," said Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. "This Immigrant Heritage Week, take advantage of the programming across the city as we all appreciate and uplift our cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity among so many other things that bring so much beauty and light to the city."

"As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Immigrant Heritage Week, it is important for us to honor our immigrant communities across generations," said Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Manuel Castro. "This year, we celebrate the resilience and determination of past immigrants who built longstanding support networks and our newest arrivals who are creating their own. From Ellis Island to now, New York City is proud to be a destination for so many to overcome barriers and achieve their American Dream."

This Immigrant Heritage Week, MOIA's signature illustration aims to celebrate all immigrant New Yorkers, past and present – reminding New Yorkers of New York City's history of being the ultimate city of immigrants.

As part of Immigrant Heritage Week, MOIA will be highlighting and promoting city and community events celebrating the city's immigrant community that will run through Immigrant Heritage Week and the national celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month in June.

Continuing the work from last year, MOIA will be releasing a series of 21 illustrations lifting diverse immigrant communities across the five boroughs, including Little Africa in the Bronx, Little Manila in Queens, Chinatown in Manhattan, and many more immigrant neighborhoods.

A full list of programs and events is available here.