The new year started with a new guard.
Eric Adams was sworn in as the second Black mayor in city history. With his election came historic appointments.
Among them, Keechant Sewell was selected as the city’s first female police commissioner in the department’s 107 years of protecting New Yorkers.
Adrienne Adams was elected as the first Black City Council speaker, and House Democrats chose Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to lead his party on Capitol Hill. He is the first Black lawmaker to do so.
From City Hall to Washington D.C., former Queens Village resident Karine Jean-Pierre took the helm as the first Black White House press secretary. Jean-Pierre and her family emigrated from Haiti when she was 5 years old. She got her start in government working for City Councilman James Gennaro as the Director of Legislative and Budget Affairs.
Also representing New York in the White House is Brooklyn artist Sharon Sprung. She’s the talent behind former first lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait.
“Working with Michelle was just wonderful, but being a small part of her memories — she’s an extraordinary woman,” Sprung shared in an interview earlier this year.
Sprung spent nine months working on the portrait in her Boerum Hill studio before it was unveiled in September.
When an assailant opened fire inside a subway car in Sunset Park, everyday New Yorkers stepped in to help their neighbors in need. Zack Tahhan is credited with spotting Frank James, the alleged shooter, in the East Village the next day. Tahhan, along with 13 others, both civilian and first responders, were honored at City Hall for their heroism.
“Each of these individuals exemplifies the determination and courage that makes us all proud to be New Yorkers,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at the ceremony in April.
Making the whole country proud is Brooklyn native Timothy Weah. The soccer star represented the men’s national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He scored the first goal for the United States soccer team in the tournament. Weah previously played for the Rosedale Soccer Club in Queens before signing his first professional contract with the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club.
Two-year-old Kenzo Brooks from Queens captured the hearts of people across the world. Kenzo’s mom posted this photo of him on Instagram, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Antonio, a character in the popular Disney movie “Encanto.”
Kenzo’s smile made national headlines — and resonated with people on social media, many commenting on how important representation is.
“It really hit home, like wow, he sees something on the screen that he can connect with. And that was really amazing,” Keith Brooks, Kenzo’s father said.
