Leaders gather on Wall Street to raise AU flag

African leaders gathered on Saturday September 17, 2022, to raise the AU flag on Wall Street.

The event, which was organized by African Union Day Foundation in partnership with NYC African Council on Saturday September 17, 2022, was attended by dignitaries, including the representative of the African Union.

While speaking at the event, Mayor Eric Adams, applauded the overwhelming support of friends and African leaders towards the recognition of Africans on their shores.

“Many of you have been part of this journey with me for the last few years. The seed of my success lies on the continent of Africa,” Mayor Adams said.

“The ancestors cry out that now we left the shores of Africa and slavery, and I returned back (sic) with the mayoralty and that’s the energy and spirit of the African people.”

He noted that Africans have continued to rise across the globe, stressing that it is time for Africans to come up with a real plan of action of using their ability, and technical knowhow to stop the raping of Africa’s natural resources and allow the African people to be able to use their resources for far too long.

“The cocoa, the gold, the diamonds, all the natural resources have been removed from Africa. And you see no real stability in the locations where they’ve been removed from, and there’s been so much silence, but part of the built-in plan that allowed the colonization of not only the physical space, but our mental space lies with us,” Adams said.

Mayor Adams lamented that Africans have been divided for too long.

“We don’t identify ourselves as cousins and nephews that were violently removed from each other. And it’s time, not only for the land to be United, as you have done so well, it’s time for the people to be United,” he said.

The mayor stated that even though America is his adopted home, his original home is in Africa.

“I am an African American and I’m not going to leave my ancestry behind like no other ethnic group in this city or country should do.

“And I’m not going to abandon Africa. Africa is who I am and who I will always be. And we should never forget that. Now it is time to rebuild and become who we ought to be. That’s what the raising of this flag is. It’s not an insignificant moment taking place on this stage of the African community,” he stated.

In her address, the African Union Ambassador to the United Nations, Fatima K. Mohammed, appreciated the invitation to the epoch-making event.

“It’s phenomenal and amazing and truly an honor for me. So, I’m truly grateful, Mr. Mayor,” she said.

The Ambassador further acknowledged that the ceremony is important as it “represents the hopes, the aspirations and the vision of a truly United and prosperous Africa.”

The 20th anniversary of the African Union was marked on September 9th, 2022. It’s been 20 years since the Durban summit in 2002, which relaunched Africa’s pan-African organization, where African leaders collectively agreed that to realize Africa’s potential, there was a need to refocus attention on the fight for decolonization and apartheid, which had been the focus of the organization of African unity, which preceded it to, towards increased cooperation and integration of African states to drive Africa’s growth and economic development.