Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised Rev. Al Sharpton for keeping New York City mayors “honest” at a Harlem celebration marking 15 years of Sharpton’s MSNBC program.
The Tuesday evening event honored “PoliticsNation,” the civil rights leader’s long-running show, with Mamdani, 33, joining New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and a crowd of media figures at Red Rooster on 126th Street. The mayor arrived by bicycle through light rain, his security detail trailing behind.
Hochul, 66, offered a striking comparison in her remarks, calling Sharpton a “living Forrest Gump.”
“He’s been through every significant event in American history, in his lifetime. He has been the voice, the conscience of America, but also the person who holds up a mirror and says, ‘Is this who we want to be?'” Hochul said.
Tony winner Billy Porter opened the program’s remarks alongside MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler, Sharpton himself, and Hochul. Porter spent the evening celebrating the network’s on-air talent, snapping selfies with anchors including Ari Melber.
The guest list drew heavily from MSNBC’s roster and Democratic circles: former network chief Phil Griffin, “The Sunday Show” host Jonathan Capehart, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele, journalist Michele Norris, host Symone Sanders Townsend, and “The 11th Hour” anchor Stephanie Ruhle. Sharpton’s longtime girlfriend, designer Aisha McShaw, also attended.
Mamdani closed the speaking portion with pointed praise for Sharpton’s institutional role in city politics.
“You have been someone, as the governor has laid out, who has been an icon in this city, and it is hard to believe that in one man, we find an activist, a broadcaster, a leader and a conscience — all at once,” Mamdani said.
The mayor also credited Sharpton with holding mayors accountable across generations. “Honest long before I was born,” Mamdani said of Sharpton’s watchdog presence.
During the event, Mamdani was seen in conversation with New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who recently led successful efforts to remove disgraced designer John Galliano as next year’s Met Gala honoree.
Sharpton launched “PoliticsNation” in 2011, building on decades of activism that began with his work as a teenage minister and extended through high-profile cases involving police violence, corporate accountability and electoral politics. The MSNBC program has served as a platform for progressive voices and a regular stop for Democratic politicians seeking to reach Black audiences.
The Harlem restaurant setting carried symbolic weight for the gathering, located in the neighborhood where Sharpton established his National Action Network headquarters and built his political base over four decades.