Mayor celebrates Greek & Italian culture
BY DEAN MOSES
Mayor Bill de Blasio had a busy,
culturally enriching on March
25, honoring the historical contributions
of both Greece and Italy all in
one afternoon.
First, the mayor met with Greek Independence
Day Parade Chairman and organizer
John Catsimatidis, religious leaders,
and others to commemorate the 200th
anniversary of Greece’s Independence
Day. This widely celebrated holiday usually
boasts a parade fi lled with music, fl oats,
and the Greek fl ag fl own high; however,
the COVID-19 pandemic has put a halt on
these and similar festivities.
In lieu of the parade, de Blasio joined
celebrants outside of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America on 10 East 79th
Mayor de Blasio joins the celebration by dancing to traditional Greek music.
St. to salute Greek New Yorkers.
“We celebrate 200 years of independence.
PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
But let’s celebrate thousands of years of
Greek contributions to the world. A way of
life, a way of thinking that we embrace, and
we love today wouldn’t have been possible
without Greece,” de Blasio said.
The Greek Revolution took place in
1821, which both Catsimatidis and de
Blasio said was inspired by the American
Revolution of 1776. While Greece was
inspired by America’s push for freedom
and independence, it is said that America’s
founding fathers drew inspiration from
the Greeks in creating our democratic
republic.
“So today, 200 years later, it’s a very
different world. But we need to hold
those patriots in our hearts,” de Blasio
said, comparing the fi ght and struggle the
Greeks underwent during their revolution
to New York’s battle with the coronavirus,
adding, “We’ve faced something we never
could have possibly imagine and at times it
looked like the coronavirus was that great
empire bearing down us. But every one of
you were freedom fi ghters. New Yorkers
fought back, and so today we celebrate the
rebirth of New York City and what a good
day to celebrate it 200 years of consistent
devotion to freedom and democracy by the
Greek people and our closeness.”
The event culminated with the showcase
of traditional Greek dances and music. De
Blasio also promised next year will feature
a parade.
While de Blasio honored Greece for its
imprint on American culture, he also paid
tribute Thursday afternoon to the 700th anniversary
of the death of Italian poet Dante
Alighieri. The mayor joined members of the
Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of
New York (IHCC) to remember the literary
contributions of Alighieri at Dante Park on
Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street.
Standing directly in the shadow of
Alighieri’s statue, de Blasio emphasized
the fi gure’s contribution towards the soul
and passion of Italian language. Alighieri
is famously known for his epic poem, Inferno,
which follows his journey through
the many levels of hell.
“He means the beauty of our language.
Without him there would not be that single
unifi ed language,” de Blasio said.
The ceremony concluded with segments
of Alighieri’s work read aloud by students
from La Scuola d’ Italia.
March 25th also marked the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri.
Vaccine plan seen as key to relaunching Broadway
BY BEN VERDE
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
on March 25 that the city will
launch a vaccination effort to
inoculate theater employees, in order to
ensure the industry can come back full
force in the fall.
The city will host dedicated vaccination
sites for those working in the industry in
the coming weeks, as well as pop-up sites
near theatres.
“This is going to be a year to turn things
around, and our artists, our performers,
our cultural community are going to lead
the way and encourage people and inspire
people,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “It’s time
to raise the curtain and bring people back.”
The effort will include a dedicated
vaccination site on Broadway for theater
professionals who qualify for the vaccine,
a mobile vaccination unit for off-Broadway
workers, pop-up Covid testing sites near
theaters, and a plan to manage crowds once
theaters reopen.
Theaters, which employ over 100,000
in New York City, are allowed to reopen at
33 percent capacity starting in April under
guidance set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The
mayor says he wants theaters up and running
at full capacity by the fall.
De Blasio called on state offi cials to
assist them in reopening the industry by
issuing clear guidelines on how reopened
theaters should operate.
“I’m calling upon the state to please,
quickly issue clear guidance for theater
workers, in terms of mask usage, in terms
of how we use proof of vaccination, or
proof of negative testing to help ensure that
everyone can work and crowds can come
back in the fall,” de Blasio said. “We need
clear delineation on how to keep workers
and performers safe.”
REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR
A man walks past the shuttered Richard Rodgers Theatre, home of the
popular musical “Hamilton”, in New York, U.S., July 2, 2020.
4 April 1, 2021 Schneps Media