New York, May 25, 2025 In a powerful display of unity, resilience, and strategic foresight, the City of New York celebrated Africa Day with its annual African Union (AU) Flag-Raising Ceremony at Bowling Green, one of the city’s oldest and most symbolic public spaces. The event, led by Mayor Eric Adams, gathered a high-level group of dignitaries, diplomats, city officials, and representatives from the African and Afro-descendant communities to mark the occasion with pride and purpose.
A Historic Ceremony, A Powerful Statement
For the third year since taking office, Mayor Eric Adams presided over this ceremony with heartfelt conviction. “It took 110 mayors before this city officially recognized the African diaspora,” Adams remarked, “and now we raise not just a flag, but the collective aspirations of a people.”
In his remarks, Mayor Adams emphasized that the raising of the African Union flag is not a symbolic gesture alone it reflects the identity and dreams of millions who form part of the African diaspora in New York and around the world. “I am American, but I am also African,” he said, underlining his personal connection to the continent and his administration’s commitment to embracing an “African mindset” in governance.
Photo credit: Les Indomptables
Justice, Reparations, and Global African Solidarity
Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, delivered a moving address centered around the 2025 Africa Day theme: Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.
“Today’s ceremony is not just a celebration. It is a call to truth, justice, and restoration,” she declared. She emphasized the ongoing moral imperative to address centuries of slavery, colonialism, apartheid, and systemic racism, urging that reparations are necessary not just as redress, but as a foundation for genuine socio-economic transformation for African and Afro-descendant communities worldwide.
“We honor the memories of our ancestors by turning pain into purpose, and determination into development,” she said.
Photo credit: Les Indomptables – May 25, 2025, Bowling Green, New York City
A Distinguished Gathering
The event was attended by numerous high-profile figures including:
- UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed,
- Ambassador Hilda Suka-Mafudze, AU Permanent Representative to the U.S.,
- Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma Sabo, Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN and Chair of the African Group for May,
- and notably, New York State Senator Robert Jackson, a longtime advocate for minority rights and social equity, whose presence reinforced the importance of this day for local and global Black communities.
Bowling Green: A Place of Historic Reckoning and Geopolitical Projection
The selection of Bowling Green as the site for this traditional flag-raising ceremonie is not accidental. As the oldest public park in New York City, located at the southern tip of Manhattan and steeped in colonial history, it was once the site of imperial symbolism. Today, it becomes a space for redefinition, inclusion, and strategic vision.
Crucially, the African Union flag is not raised alone on this day. First, the flag of the United States of America is hoisted, followed by the African Union flag an act of profound geopolitical resonance. This sequential display does not merely honor Africa’s past and future; it symbolizes the potential emergence of a new strategic partnership between the United States and the African continent.
As two of the world’s largest demographic entities one home to the most powerful Afro-descendant population, the other to over 1.4 billion Africans this cooperation is not only timely but essential. Africa, faced with internal conflicts, external pressures, and economic aspirations, is actively seeking a true strategic partner that can support its irreversible path toward development and sovereignty.
After centuries of segregation, colonialism, and neocolonialism, this moment represents an inflection point. The flag-raising is more than a ceremony it is a political signal of renewed trust, mutual respect, and long-term collaboration.
As the flags of the United States and the African Union danced side by side in the breeze over Bowling Green, the message was clear: Africa is here, present, proud, and moving forward. And New York City, as a global crossroads, is declaring its readiness to walk that path alongside the continent.
Photo credit: Les Indomptables – May 25, 2025, Bowling Green, New York City
This annual event not only celebrates African identity but positions Africa at the heart of future global partnerships. From the symbolism of the flag to the vision of cooperation, Africa Day in New York has become a defining ritual of global realignment.
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