Brooklynites from all origins embraced and shared their culture, celebrating the borough's diversity at the 5th annual International Day of Friendship.
On Sunday, hundreds of Brooklynites joined Borough President Eric L. Adams to celebrate the fifth annual International Day of Friendship.
The festivities kicked off with the Unity Parade of Flags. Brooklynites from more than 80 countries carrying the flags of 195 nations marched down Fulton Street toward Brooklyn Borough Hall. Following the parade, the celebration continued at Brooklyn Borough Hall and Columbus Park with performances from a variety of local cultural groups including Panamanian dance group Nuevo Milenio, Ajna Indian Dance Company, the Brooklyn Ballet and Tahitian dance school Ori Manea.
The Global Village welcomed countries from around the world showcasing their cultures, cuisines and customs, and featured nations such as Belarus, Ghana, Turkey, Egypt, Mongolia, Poland, Turkey and South Africa, to name a few.
It was a day of unity and friendship, that also had moments of reflection on what diversity, inclusivity and solidarity mean in the nation's current political climate when Adams addressed the crowd.
"This International Day of Friendship is to acknowledge the friendship that we have. No matter what happens nationally, locally is where it matters," Adams said. "If we say hello to each other, if we learn different languages and eat different foods, if we interact with each other, we turn back any roads of hate and we will show that love prevails."
Adams initiated the event five years ago as part of his "Embrace Your Hyphen" campaign that encourages Brooklynites to celebrate and learn about the borough's beautiful diversity through awareness campaigns and cultural programming. And true to the spirit, attendees from all origins came to embrace and share their culture. Take a look at our photo gallery!
