Mamdani visits city churches on Easter Sunday, invokes King and affordability agenda

NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spent Easter Sunday visiting churches across the city, invoking the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and connecting the holiday’s message of renewal to his administration’s affordability agenda.

At Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene in Wakefield, speaking 58 years and one day after King’s assassination, Mamdani drew on King’s words to address the challenges facing the city.

“Easter reminds us it won’t always be like that. It reminds us that God has a light that can shine amid all the darkness,” he said, calling the holiday a reminder that “what seems impossible is anything but.”

Later at Ebenezer Urban Ministry Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Mamdani — the city’s first Muslim mayor — was warmly received by Bishop Dr. R.C. Hugh Nelson, who noted the audience’s enthusiasm.

Mamdani tied his Easter message to the city’s affordability crisis, noting that 200,000 Black New Yorkers have been pushed out of the city in recent decades due to the cost of living.

“I came in the spirit of Easter and the spirit of renewal and resurrection to show how the city government understands its responsibility to help,” he said.

Mamdani highlighted an early administration win — securing $1.2 billion from Governor Kathy Hochul to fund a pathway to universal childcare — while acknowledging a looming clash with the governor over his calls to raise taxes on the wealthy.

Facing a $5.4 billion budget deficit, Mamdani has also floated a 9.5% property tax increase if state legislation fails. He noted he is approaching his 100-day mark in office.