REMARKS
Council Member Carlina Rivera opens her questions by remarking on the importance of libraries and their services
0:59:19
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78 sec
Council Member Carlina Rivera delivers an opening statement highlighting the critical role of libraries in providing essential services to communities.
- She shares personal reflections on the value of libraries and their programs
- Rivera emphasizes libraries' offerings like citizenship classes, senior center visits, and food pantry support
- She notes emotional impact of initiatives like prom dress donations that create community moments
- Rivera underscores libraries as vital democratic institutions serving diverse needs of city residents
Carlina Rivera
0:59:19
Thank you very much.
0:59:22
Just wanna you know, Linda mentioned being up at night, you know, and and how distressing this is.
0:59:29
Certainly, I've been thinking of these these cuts a lot.
0:59:32
I I I am up in the middle of the night, but the baby has listened to a lot of COUNCIL LIVE IN NEW YORK 1.
0:59:39
Just BECAUSE PROTECTING OUR DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS ARE SO SO IMPORTANT.
0:59:43
And I had a questions on, you know, what is it that you will provide and how are the communities impacted, but I thought you laid that out quite brilliantly in your opening statements that included in attendance and membership up by 40%.
0:59:57
You offer citizenship classes, and you go to senior centers and nursing homes and cut to essential lifelines like food pantries.
1:00:06
I mean, this is really critical services, tax prep, college, and career hubs, the prom dress donation I found, you know, especially touching I was so thrilled that I got to go to prom.
1:00:18
And I remember when I donated my dress afterwards because I just wanted someone else to have that.
1:00:22
So I think that there's these experiences in these little moments throughout this very, very vibrant and energetic city that we all have to come to appreciate, and sometimes it's in that quiet, in that space.
1:00:33
In your libraries that allow someone to have that.
