The mayor also took the occasion to pay further tribute to former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, the City’s first, and to date, only Black mayor who died on Monday, Nov. 23. “Chirlane and I are mourning a truly great man. David Dinkins simply set this city on a better path,” the mayor tweeted earlier on Tuesday. “He was my mentor, he was my friend, and his steadfast commitment to fight for that “gorgeous mosaic” inspires me every single day. We’ll keep up his fight.”

 

The New York Times published the following obituary following Dinkins’ death on Monday.

 

During Tuesday’s press conference, the mayor said he had a heavy heart, and that Dinkins had meant a lot to him and to his wife, First Lady Chirlane McCray. “He was a guiding hand in our lives in so many ways,” he said. “But what he did for this city; he simply put us on a better path, and he did it with heart and warmth and love.” De Blasio said the former mayor was animated by love for all people. “David Dinkins believed that we could be better, believed that we could overcome our divisions,” he said. “He showed us what it was like to be a gentleman, to be a kind person, no matter what was thrown at him. and a lot was thrown at him,” the current mayor said.

 

De Blasio said Dinkins always tried to answer the hate with love, and said it had been remarkable serving with him at City Hall. “To see that no matter what was going on out there, he always had that joy that he found, and it was particularly for children. He loved children so deeply and he did something about it, creating those amazing beacon after-school programs that continue to this day, that we’ve actually been expanding to reach more and more kids,” he said.

“This is something he believed in so deeply, everything that we could do for our children,” De Blasio said, adding that Dinkins had a wisdom, and an ability to stay steady no matter how choppy the waters. “It was just extraordinary, and it’s hard to be that patient and to be that kind when there’s so many troubles all around you but he did it, and he’s made things happen for this city that he’s really never gotten the credit for, including putting us on the pathway to becoming a much safer city, with the “Safe Streets, Safe City” program, and all the affordable housing that he launched, and the generation of really devoted public servants that got their start, and Chirlane and I are humbly among that generation,” the mayor said.

 

De Blasio said neither he nor his wife would have had the opportunity to serve the city had it not been for David Dinkins. “I’m speaking now to the hundreds and hundreds of people who were a part of the team in the years 1989 to 1983 [1993],” he said.  “I’m expressing my love to you, how much we miss David Dinkins right now, and yet, we still have each other.”

 

He said that is how how Dinkins would have wanted it, adding that he worked constantly to nurture the next generation. “Whenever he was around, you felt re-assured because he was there for all the right reasons,” the mayor said. “I’m feeling something painful in my heart right now. I’m feeling like a loss and an emptiness because he’s gone, but I also really feel his guidance still, his presence, and we’re going to keep going. We’re going to continue his fight.”

 

Meanwhile in the Bronx, in response to the death of Dinkins, Councilman Fernando Cabrera renewed his call to rename the Washington Bridge in the former mayor’s honor. “David Dinkins was an exemplary statesman, and dedicated public servant,” said Cabrera, who serves as the City Council’s majority whip.

 

“Former Mayor Dinkins broke a barrier – becoming the first African American elected mayor in the City of New York. Mayor Dinkins was a lifelong public servant who fulfilled numerous roles in New York City government, dedicating his life to the city he loved. In 2014, I introduced legislation to rename the Washington Bridge the David Dinkins Bridge,” Cabrera said. “I’m renewing this call and resubmitting the bill as a fitting and well-deserved recognition to an honorable man.”

 

Back at City Hall, De Blasio explained the meaning behind Dinkins signature phrase the “gorgeous mosaic,” when describing New York City. “I don’t want anyone to miss the meaning of that. He would say it and he felt it. He felt it deeply,” De Blasio said, adding that it wasn’t just a throwaway line, though some people would mock him for it.

 

“They weren’t paying attention to the truth,” he said, explaining that Dinkins loved people. “He loved humanity. He saw the beauty in New Yorkers. He saw the gorgeous reality of the city. Even when it was tough, he still saw the good, and mosaic meant every one of us, every one of our communities, our cultures could shine through. There didn’t need to be a contradiction or a conflict. We could all add up to something greater, and at the time, a lot of people didn’t use that phrase. They liked to say ‘melting pot,’ which suggests taking away our unique features and culture.”

 

The mayor said Dinkins didn’t see it that way. “He thought each beautiful strand should shine through, and it could lead to something greater, and it did. So, David Dinkins, God bless you. We miss you already but we all learned a lot. We all became better because of you, and we’re going to carry on your work, and rest in peace.”