Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-New York City) spent his Easter Sunday making back-to-back appearances at city churches, where he invoked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his affordability agenda. “Dr. King reminds us, Jesus was guided by his faith in something he could not see,” Mamdani told worshippe rs at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene in Wakefield. He spoke 58 years and one day after King was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. “Despite incredible darkness, Jesus was buoyed by this faith, a belief in things unseen. And Dr. King said, ‘Easter reminds us it won’t always be like that. It reminds us that God has a light that can shine amid all the darkness,'” the mayor said. Mamdani also told worshipers that Easter is a reminder that what seems impossible is anything but. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is welcomed at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene in Wakefield Sunday. (Image: Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene) Later at Ebenezer Urban Ministry Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the city’s first Muslim mayor told the audience “It is a pleasure to spend Easter Sunday with you.” Mamdani was welcomed by Bishop Dr. R. C. Hugh Nelson, who said “By the applause, it is clear that you have a lot of supporters right here who want to see you succeed.” Mamdani also spoke of Dr. King in his Brooklyn remarks. “I think of Dr. King’s words often when I reflect on this time of renewal in New York City, because for far too long we have known darkness in this city,” said Mamdani. The mayor then discussed the issue that helped him knock out two established names to win the election in November: affordability. “In the last few decades alone, 200,000 Black New Yorkers have been pushed out of the city that they love because they cannot afford life in the most expensive city in the United States of America.” The mayor said he came “in the spirit of Easter and the spirit of renewal and resurrection” to show how city government understands its responsibility to help. Mamdani noted he is nearing his 100-day mark in office. “On the eighth day of our administration, we secured $1.2 billion from our governor to deliver a pathway to universal child care in this city,” Mamdani said. But Mamdani faces a clash with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-New York) over his calls to “tax the rich.” While Hochul has been a vocal opponent of tax hikes, Mamdani is also trying to solve a $5.4 billion dollar budget deficit and has discussed raising property taxes in the city by 9.5% if legislation fails at the state capitol. ...read more read less