Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso highlighted his health, immigration and housing initiatives at his annual State of the Borough address on Thursday, and said it was his duty to honor the diversity and cultural heritage of the borough.
Speaking to a packed audience at the Brooklyn Museum, Reynoso said he focused on equity during his first term, emphasizing immigration inclusion, sanctuary protection and initiating greater accessibility to healthcare and housing.
That said, he is also focused on preserving Brooklyn’s cultural scene and announced funding for Coney Island USA, the nonprofit that hosts the annual Mermaid Parade, to “keep the tradition alive.”
“It’s not Brooklyn without them,” Reynoso said, without disclosing the funding allocation amount.
And while New York City thrives on the history and cultures of those who find themselves in it, Reynoso reminded the audience that the resilience of Brooklyn is led by the spirit of its communities.
Reynoso, who is running in the June primary election to replace retiring Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez in NY-7, began his speech by capitalizing on his maternal healthcare initiatives that allocated $45 million to New York Health + Hospitals’ Woodhull, Kings County and Coney Island centers to renovate the labor and delivery units.
“Over the last four years, we put maternal health first, and we set a goal to make Brooklyn the safest place on this planet for a Black woman to have a baby,” Reynoso said to cheers.
His office launched a maternal health task force that piloted the Born in Brooklyn Baby Box program, a $250,000 campaign that provided 500 families with resources for prenatal and postpartum needs. The program’s success was monumental enough that Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to start a similar initiative, he said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James remarked that Reynoso had taken “historic action” to address the staggering maternal health disparity of Black and brown women, marking the first time a Brooklyn Borough President had ever treated the maternal health crisis “with the urgency it demands.”
Reynoso also recently announced a $76 million initiative to provide sensory rooms to every single District 75 elementary school in Brooklyn. At least 18 schools will receive funds to create a sensory room immediately, he said.
While housing remains a persistent issue across the five boroughs, Reynoso reminded the audience that, “if all roads lead to Brooklyn, then Brooklyn has to be a place you can afford to call home.”
That’s why his office has allocated more than $30 million towards housing, approving more than 12,000 affordable units. Reynoso referred to the Divine Dwellings initiative, which provides faith institutions technical support for building housing on church parking lots, and the launch of the Tenant Relocation Act, a program that provides assistance to tenants who are forced to relocate, as successful programs.
He also advocated for the build-out of the Interborough Express, a rapid transit line between Brooklyn and Queens, and supported the mayor’s campaign initiative for free bus service.
On immigration, Reynoso said he was proud to have provided 6,000 work authorization papers that helped asylum seekers get out of the shelter system. The Our City, Our Sanctuary digital resource hub also helps undocumented immigrants learn how to report discrimination or misconduct.
Reynoso emphasized that too many people continue to live in fear of arrest and deportation, but the borough was providing support.
“You could be alone here in Brooklyn, but you’re not lonely. We show up, we are the village,” he said.
