Recycled Footage for Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The Mamdani administration chose to reuse footage from a previous mayor’s office to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day, omitting any reference to Italian-American New Yorkers or Columbus Day, which has been a point of contention for Mamdani.

His team, known for their emphasis on social media, decided not to create new content for celebrating Native Americans in New York City. Instead, they recycled clips from last year’s celebration that showcased the history of the Lenape.

“It’s nice to see @NYCMayor recognizing the Lenape today,” Fabien Levy, former deputy mayor of communications under Eric Adams, noted on social media. However, he expressed concern about the lack of originality, saying it “devalues” the Lenape to use footage from two years ago made for NYC’s 400th anniversary.

The posts included a nearly two-minute video overviewing the Lenape community’s history, which originally debuted in January 2025.

One post wished Indigenous New Yorkers a happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, highlighting their ongoing influence and resilience in shaping the city.

Another emphasized that Indigenous history surrounds us, stating, “Long before New York City bore its name, this land was home to the Lenape people.”

Mamdani did not mention Italian-Americans, many of whom were upset by his absence from the Columbus Day parade in Manhattan. He has been open about his disdain for Christopher Columbus, even sharing a photo on social media where he gestures toward a statue of the explorer, advocating for its removal.

City Hall has not commented on the decision to use recycled video content.