Armenian-American Advancement Network Condemns Recent Anti-Armenian Actions involving Mayor Adams and Calls for Immediate End to Anti-Armenian Racism in NYC
For Immediate Release
June 1, 2025
info@ArmenianActionNetwork.org
UNITED STATES—Armenian-American Advancement Network, a leading Armenian-American civil rights organization, strongly condemns New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s deliberate decision not to recognize the Armenian Genocide in April as a direct result of his political ties to regimes of Turkey and Azerbaijan and racial ideologues, and other shocking anti-Armenian activity recently revealed by news and government investigations. We call on New York City government officials and entities to take decisive action immediately to eradicate anti-Armenian discrimination within its operations and work toward such efforts, in partnership with Armenian-American led and constituency-based organizations, within larger U.S. society.
Bigots and foreign dictatorships must no longer shape New York City’s policy. Armenian-American Advancement Network condemns these actions by Mayor Adams. As revealed by recent investigations, anti-Armenian sentiment and dark money and influence have bought his favor and shaped his priorities and budget. He and his staff members took unreported trips to Azerbaijan and solicited illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel from Turkish foreign nationals with the explicit understanding that Adams would then deliberately erase the experiences of Armenian-American New Yorkers and their histories – as revealed in Politico, Gothamist, In These Times, and CIVILNET. “In exchange for the bribes, Adams took actions that appeared to benefit Turkey’s leaders, including expediting the fire safety inspection at a consulate building and not releasing a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, according to the indictment.”
And yet despite these charges of bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy, U.S. District Judge Dale Ho dismissed the corruption indictment against Mayor Adams, so it cannot be brought back again.
Armenian-Armenian Advancement Network calls on Mayor Adams to immediately apologize, cease and rectify this pattern of Anti-Armenian American activity, and robustly engage Armenian-American organizations and constituents to build toward urgent and necessary repair and justice. In addition, AAAN calls for further investigation into such activities and the fortifying of civil protections of marginalized communities in NYC. Armenian-American New Yorkers are a vital part of the City and must not be targeted by policymakers and regimes.
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Take Action With Us:
We urge Armenian-American New Yorkers, alongside all SWANA peoples, to join the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) at its 2025 AAPI Mayoral Forum on June 3, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at New York Law School and directly engage in any opportunity to address anti-Armenian American sentiment in the City. The forum will consist of 15-minute moderated one-on-one discussions between candidates and moderator Shirley Chan of PIX11 on the most pertinent issues facing New York City’s AAPI communities today. This is a unique chance to engage directly with the incoming mayoral candidates on topics that matter most to our community and to collectively shape the future of our city. Space is limited, so we encourage you to RSVP as soon as possible to secure your spot.
In addition, this month, the New York City Commission on Racial Equity (CORE) launched applications for organizations to join the Organizing Network. “An independent 15-member-commission responsible for holding government accountable to advancing racial equity in government operations and increasing community voices in government decision making, The NYC Commission on Racial Equity (CORE) provides accountability for New Yorkers, regularly evaluating the City’s progress on its racial requirements and goals.” Armenian-American Advancement Network applied to be among the seventy nonprofits, community and faith-based organizations, local community governance groups, volunteer-led and mutual aid entities, collectives, cooperatives, small businesses, and MWBEs selected to lead facilitated community conversations and provide participant feedback to CORE based on those conversations. To learn more about this initiative, please click here. We seek to engage Armenian-American New Yorkers in upcoming conversations about the impact of Mayor Adams’s deliberate actions on our community, New York State’s new MENA data disaggregation bill that will provide us with better data, representation and funding, and incoming mayoral candidates, to enable the city to progress toward its more equitable racial goals.