Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso celebrates Brooklyn at 2026 State of the Borough Address
Reynoso announces new initiatives supporting students, immigrant New Yorkers and creatives
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso delivered the State of the Borough address at the Brooklyn Museum on April 16, 2026. Photo: Joel Cruz/Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
Special from the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
April 17, 2026
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EASTERN PARKWAY — Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso delivered his 2026 State of the Borough address before a packed audience of over 1,000 New Yorkers at the Brooklyn Museum on Wednesday, April 16.
The borough president touted four years of landmark investments in maternal health, housing and education. He also announced new initiatives supporting Brooklyn’s students, creatives and immigrant communities.
During the address, Reynoso highlighted the strength of Brooklyn’s diversity, asserting that everyone who arrives in Brooklyn belongs here and urged Brooklynites to reject the fearmongering of the federal government. New York State Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Comptroller Mark Levine delivered special remarks prior to the borough president’s address.
The winner of the 2026 Brooklyn Pin Design Contest. Photo: Joel Cruz/Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
“If you talk to just about any family in this country, chances are someone in their story passed through Brooklyn. People from every corner of the planet, every walk of life, belong in this borough,” said Reynoso.
“That means we deliver the resources our people need from the very beginning. It means being intentional about where we invest and how we plan. It means honoring the roads that brought our neighbors here, and the stories they carry with them. All roads lead to Brooklyn, and even when others try to turn us against each other, Brooklyn chooses belonging.”
Performers from Coney Island USA, including mermaids and magicians, accompanied by a steel pan band with nonprofit Pan in Motion, greeted guests as they entered the Brooklyn Museum’s Beaux-Arts Court.
The official program commenced with a vibrant carnival performance from the JouvayFest Collective and 2 J & Friends. The Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre performed the National Anthem. Deputy Borough President Kim Council, Rabbi Aaron Raskin and Imam Ahmad Abu Ubayda delivered a multi-faith invocation.
Investing in sensory rooms for every elementary-aged District 75 school in Brooklyn
Reynoso announced a $9.25 million capital investment to build dozens of new sensory rooms at District 75 (D75) sites across Brooklyn. This investment will provide funding for every D75 elementary-aged site in Brooklyn, starting with sensory rooms for 18 schools.
Performances took place throughout the event. Photo: Joel Cruz/Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
Schools will have the flexibility to custom-build these spaces, allowing for a tailored learning experience that best supports the needs of their student bodies. D75 schools deliver highly specialized, individualized educational programs for students with significant challenges, such as autism, cognitive delays, sensory impairments and emotional or multiple disabilities. This investment brings the borough president’s grand total support for schools to $76 million.
“As a father to a child with autism, I know just how important sensory rooms are for the students who need them,” said Reynoso.
“Sensory rooms help students regulate, focus and reset so they can stay engaged in their learning. With this investment, we’re setting a new standard, ensuring that every single elementary-aged D75 site in Brooklyn has a sensory room. Because it doesn’t matter what community you live in or how much your family earns, all of our students deserve the resources they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
Launching ‘Our City, Our Sanctuary’
In response to federal attacks on immigrant communities, Reynoso announced the launch of “Our City, Our Sanctuary,” a new campaign pairing direct community outreach with a centralized digital resource hub.
The borough president’s office will partner with community organizations to host Know-Your-Rights and ICE Awareness trainings across Brooklyn. Acompanion digital resource hub will help residents to report discrimination and misconduct and connect with trusted legal support organizations.
The State of the Borough address took place at the Brooklyn Museum on April 16. Photo: Joel Cruz/Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
The announcement comes after the borough president’s office opened Brooklyn Borough Hall as a satellite Asylum Application Help Center in 2024, helping nearly 6,000 asylum seekers apply for work authorization.
Introducing Brooklyn’s new borough historian
Reynoso announced the appointment of public historian Asad Dandia as Brooklyn’s new borough historian, succeeding longtime historian and now Borough Historian Emeritus Ron Schweiger.
A born-and-raised Brooklynite and the son of Pakistani immigrants, Dandia is a community organizer and educator whose work centers on the histories of communities that have been historically overlooked.
He holds a master’s degree in Islamic studies from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in social work from New York University. He currently teaches NYC history at CUNY Guttman Community College, is a museum guide at the Museum of the City of New York and owns a walking tour company that advances new perspectives on the city’s underrepresented and forgotten community stories.
The appointment reaffirms the borough president’s commitment to preserving Brooklyn stories that reflect every community and voice in the borough.
A crowd gathered at the Brooklyn Museum for the State of the Borough address. Photo: Joel Cruz/Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
“I am truly thrilled and excited to be appointed Brooklyn borough historian by Borough President Antonio Reynoso. I have been a loyal Brooklynite since the day I was born in the formerly named Coney Island Hospital,” said Dandia.
“It is the only home I have ever known. And while home has changed significantly over the years, my unwavering love for it has remained constant. To be tasked with preserving, interpreting and shepherding the history of the County of Kings is a privilege and honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
The borough historian is an unpaid, state-mandated position.
Announcing the winner of the 2026 Brooklyn Pin Design Competition
At the address, Reynoso introduced Mellina Melezhik, a South Brooklyn high school student and daughter of Ukrainian immigrants,as the winner of the first-ever Brooklyn Pin Design Competition.
Brooklynites of all ages and backgrounds submitted original designs for the 2026 limited-edition Brooklyn pin. Melezhik’s winning design, an animated R160 subway car spray-painted with “Brooklyn,” reflects the Borough President’s message that all roads lead to Brooklyn and underscores the relationship between Brooklyn’s rich graffiti culture and New York City’s iconic subway system.
The borough president has uplifted the arts throughout his tenure by launching his Arts Ambassador initiative, which aims to highlight the borough’s cultural impact and unlock new opportunities for Brooklyn’s emerging artists.
Performances took place throughout the night. Photo: Joel Cruz/Office of the Brooklyn Borough President
Funding the Mermaid Parade
Recognizing the Mermaid Parade as an iconic symbol of Brooklyn’s culture, Reynoso announced that his office is allocating discretionary funding to Coney Island USA to keep the beloved annual celebration alive.
Last month, Coney Island USA issued a public appeal for funding, citing an urgent financial crisis that threatened to derail this year’s Mermaid Parade.
Celebrating Brooklyn through service
Borough President Reynoso highlighted his administration’s work over the last four years.
Reynoso allocated $45 million to renovate labor and delivery units at Woodhull, Kings County and South Brooklyn Health hospitals. He also funded a $250,000 maternal health public education campaign. His “Born in Brooklyn” baby box program has served 500 families, and his office partnered with Brooklyn College to launch New York State’s first credit-bearing Perinatal Mental Health Advanced Certificate Program.
More than $30 million in capital investments went toward housing construction and preservation, alongside the approval of over 12,000 affordable units. The administration also launched the Divine Dwellings initiative, which supports faith institutions in exploring affordable housing development on their land.
The first borough-wide comprehensive plan, established under Reynoso, was recognized with the American Planning Association’s Lawrence M. Orton Award. His office also created the Access to Opportunity Index, a first-of-its-kind tool mapping community access to education, transit, jobs, health and climate resources.
Reynoso and his team celebrated Brooklyn’s culture with the Arts Ambassador initiative, naming Colm Dillane of KidSuper Brooklyn’s first Arts Ambassador. Last year, The People’s Runway, which highlighted the borough’s five most promising designers, was named the best runway show of New York Fashion Week by Complex Magazine.
SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.
ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.
