In a full circle moment, new Harlem Councilmember Yusef Salaam was officially sworn into office last week. His inauguration was attended by heavy hitters like Reverend Al Sharpton, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and rapper Fatman Scoop.
“A city that once put me in a cage,” said Salaam, “has now put me on its city council.”
The inauguration was held at The City College of New York in Harlem. After a bit of a late start, attendees and elected officials packed the theater at the arts center and eagerly waited for the ceremony to begin. Sharpton kicked things off with a powerful invocation, followed by tributes from Imam Gabriel Nasir and Imam Talib Abdur Rashid to honor Salaam’s Muslim faith.
Youth Poet Laureate Kayden Hern, a 9-year-old Harlemite, read a poem and singer Letrice Cherry performed “Lift Every Voice.”
“Prayer and work helps change things,” said Sharon Salaam, Councilmember Salaam’s mother. At the podium, she emotionally recalled the moments she found out that her son and his friends had been falsely arrested during the Central Park Five jogger rape case in 1989. She dutifully worked to free her son and his friends, now known as the Exonerated Six, with overturned convictions.
Salaam was sworn in by Judge Jeanine Johnson, surrounded on stage by his children and family. He used a Quran that his mother had gifted him during the infamous case and his subsequent imprisonment.
Bragg is the first Black man to hold his position as Manhattan DA. He is the same age as Salaam and grew up in Harlem during the media frenzy around the Central Park case. He spoke at the inauguration about how he personally relates to Salaam’s story and was directly inspired by him as a youth to become a lawyer.
“I just texted a childhood friend and told him I was here. He and I were stopped together two years after your prosecution on 137th Street. Police officers, [and a] SWAT team pulled one of our friends out and put a gun to his temple for about five minutes,” said Bragg. “They claimed we had stabbed someone in Central Park and we knew what that meant, that was intentional. So we talk about turning your pain into purpose, you’ve done it for so many other people. Because when I stood there and I walked home that day, I said I’m going to law school. I’m just one story.”
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who briefly attended the inauguration ceremony, said she was distinctly honored and grateful to see her esteemed colleague sworn into office.
“Councilmember Salaam is such an important voice in our council and in our city,” said Adams. “His story, his grace, and perseverance in the face of adversity is one of inspiration to the people of Harlem that raised him, really all of New York City. After seven years, as we know of being wrongfully incarcerated and demonized, Councilmember Salaam has used his voice to advocate and to fight for others.”
Adams, the former chair of the public safety committee, was proud to appoint Salaam the current chair of public safety this year. Salaam oversaw his first public safety council committee hearing reviewing New York City Police Department (NYPD) investigative procedures and wrongful convictions on Feb. 26.
“Yuseeeef!” exclaimed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams from the podium in proper Brooklynite fashion. Williams had testified at the public safety hearing a few days prior, noting the incredible providence that had led Salaam to his position. “That’s an amazing man. That’s amazing. Your story, your arc is simply amazing and there’s nothing else that can be said, but God using the ancestors to guide you here.”
A post-inauguration reception took place after the main event. Light refreshments were served by Harlem’s own Chef Quie Slobert of Charles Pan Fried Chicken on 125th Street.
Coincidentally, Salaam’s birthday was also on Feb. 27, right before his inauguration. He turned 50 years old.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.