2024 Honorees

GRAND MARSHALS

Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the state of New York. With decades of experience and a long record of achievements, she is a powerful, effective attorney and lifelong public servant. When she was elected in 2018, she became the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General.

Lt. Governor Delgado was born and raised in Schenectady, NY and currently resides in Rhinebeck, NY with his wife and twin boys.

Mr. Delgado was appointed in May of 2022 to serve as Lt. Governor and was elected to a full term in November of 2022.

As Lieutenant Governor, he serves as chair of the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, oversees the Regional Economic Development Council, and was recently tasked with heading up the newly formed Office of Service and Civic Engagement.

Adrienne Eadie Adams is the Speaker of the New York City Council. Elected in January 2022 by

her colleagues, she leads the most diverse and the first women-majority Council in New York

City history as the first-ever African American Speaker. Elected to the City Council in

November 2017, she is also the first woman to represent District 28, which encompasses the

Queens neighborhoods of Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, and South Ozone Park.

New York State Senator Cordell Cleare was raised in Harlem and her family has lived there for four generations.  Cleare’s activism and advocacy spans decades but peaked when she served as a tenant organizer and Chair of the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning. In these years and civic leadership roles, she fought hard to protect children from the life-threatening dangers of lead paint, leading to shaping a significant public policy - The Childhood Lead Poisoning Law (2004).  This law is now a national model.  For nearly two decades, starting in 1997, she tirelessly served as Chief of Staff to Bill Perkins, during his time in the New York City Council and New York State Senate.  Senator Cleare is currently serving in her first term from District 30, representing Central Harlem, East Harlem (El Barrio), West Harlem, Upper Westside, Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights neighborhoods.  Cleare is one of only two women to hold the seat.  The late Manhattan Borough President, Federal Court Judge and friend of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Constance Baker Motley, was the first woman, winning the seat almost 60 years ago.  Both are the only black women elected to the New York State Senate from Manhattan.  Since first being elected, Senator Cleare has written nearly 300 bills, passed 83 of them in the Senate with over 30 now having become law.  She has introduced packages of bills such as “The Housing Is A Human Right Agenda” & “Eradicating Human Trafficking.”   

MARSHALS

Darcel Denise Clark became the 13th District Attorney for Bronx County on January 1, 2016.

She is the first woman in that position and the first African-American woman to be elected a

District Attorney in New York State. She was re-elected to her third term in November 2023.

District Attorney Clark’s mission is “Pursuing Justice with Integrity,” and in fulfilling that mission

she has restructured the Bronx District Attorney’s Office to reflect 21st Century prosecution,

focusing on assistance for victims, fairness to defendants, crime prevention and community

outreach. She created a Conviction Integrity Bureau, a Public Integrity Bureau, established a

Rikers Island Prosecution Bureau to decrease violence and corruption in the jails, and

enhanced services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

District Attorney Clark pioneered alternative to incarceration initiatives through a new

Community Justice Bureau.

New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam

In 1989, at just fifteen years young, Yusef Salaam was tried and convicted in the “Central Park Jogger” case along with four other Black and Latinx young men. The Exonerated Five spent between seven to 13 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit, until their sentences were overturned in 2002.

Over the past two decades, Yusef has become a family man, father, poet, activist and inspirational speaker. It has been his mission to educate the public about the impact of mass incarceration and police brutality rooted in our justice system, regularly advocating for criminal justice reform, prison reform and the abolition of juvenile solitary confinement and capital punishment. He works to restore humanity denied to those incarcerated and those downtrodden by the spiked wheels of justice.

On November 2nd, 2021, Vanessa L. Gibson was elected to be the 14th Bronx Borough President to serve the over 1.4 million residents and families that call the Bronx home.

A native New Yorker, Ms. Gibson began her career serving the people of the west Bronx. In January 2001, while a student at the University at Albany, Ms. Gibson joined the New York State Assembly Intern Program and was assigned to then-Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene. As an Intern, she worked on legislation for the Assemblywoman, attended meetings and met with constituents and community groups on behalf of the office.

Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman is a devoted public servant, committed to the rich and dynamic communities of Bedford-Stuyvesant and north Crown Heights. With a distinguished career that spans both government and nonprofits, she has been a force behind transformative initiatives in adult literacy and workforce development. As a member of the New York State Assembly, where she serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce and contributes to standing Committees on Aging, Labor, and People with Disabilities, Assemblymember Zinerman occupies a pivotal position. Her diverse committee engagements lay the foundation for her impactful work, driving significant legislation and cultivating inclusive job markets. Through her dedication, she empowers communities by prioritizing education and skill-building. A staunch advocate for equality, democracy, and community engagement, Assemblymember Zinerman's leadership across various committees and her establishment of local councils echo her profound commitment to a vibrant, just, and age-friendly New York. With an impressive record of achievements and an unwavering dedication, Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman persists in working towards a vision of building a stronger, more unified community, embodying the principles of equality and progress for all.

2023 grand marshals

2023 marshals