Res 0607-2026

Res. No. 607 Resolution declaring September as African Immigrant Heritage Month in the City of New York to celebrate the contributions made by African immigrants to New York City and the United States By Council Members Stevens, Hudson, Thomas-Henry, Narcisse, Hanks, Joseph, Williams, Cabán, Epstein, Hanif, Brewer, Avilés, Hankerson, Farías and the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams) (by request of the Bronx Borough President) Whereas, New York City (NYC) is proud to be a city of immigrants within a nation of immigrants; and Whereas, Currently numbering approximately 167,000—about 5.4 percent of NYC’s foreign-born residents—African immigrants constitute a large and growing community among the immigrant population in NYC; and Whereas, The Bronx is home to approximately 60,000 African immigrants, placing it among the counties with the highest number of African-born residents in the United States (U.S.); and Whereas, According to the American Immigration Council, African immigrants in the U.S. tend to have higher education levels than the U.S. population as a whole and are more likely to hold a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); and Whereas, A sizable portion of the African immigrant population in the U.S. works in health care, making invaluable contributions to a sector that faces persistent labor shortages; and Whereas, Each year, African immigrants in the U.S. contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy through taxes and spending, with nearly $15 billion in federal, state, and local taxes paid by African-born residents in 2015 and an estimated spending power that totaled more than $40.3 billion in the same year; and Whereas, African immigrants in NYC have also been pioneers in public life, serving in prominent cultural and political roles; and Whereas, Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced House Resolution (H. Res.) 688 on September 9, 2025, in the U.S. House of Representatives, “[e]xpressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a ‘National African Immigrant Heritage Month’ in September to celebrate the great contributions of Americans of African immigrant heritage in the United States who have enriched the history of the Nation”; and Whereas, Amid the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty within immigrant communities in NYC due to heightened concerns about due process in federal immigration enforcement operations, NYC is committed to upholding the city’s identity as a beacon for cultural diversity and to honoring the legacy and contributions of immigrants who have chosen to call the U.S. home; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York declares September as African Immigrant Heritage Month in the City of New York to celebrate the contributions made by African immigrants to New York City and the United States. 7/14/26 LSR# 24708