A Ramadan reflection on New York City’s progressive agenda

Muslims all over the world have begun fasting for Ramadan, a month of spiritual reconnection with God and a time for counting our blessings. On a personal level, I am grateful for the health and happiness of my family and friends and that just last month, I made it through my doctorate program in Urban School Leadership. As an educator, I am also grateful to live in a city whose mayor values education and prioritizes progress for my community and my fellow New Yorkers. In just two and a half years that Mayor Bill de Blasio has been in office, our quality of life has improved.

My own family has been directly impacted in four significant ways.

In 2014, my grandson Dean was the first in my family to benefit from Pre-K for All. This was a heaven-sent program that eased the financial hardship on his mother, who is an elementary school teacher, and his father, who is a police officer. Pre-K for All made a huge difference in Dean’s academic growth, and because of the program, he began reading on his own in kindergarten. This coming September, his brother Zack will also reap the benefits of pre-K.

I was proud to stand with Mayor de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña and Muslim leaders in March of 2015, when the Eid holidays were publicly announced at a school where 36 percent of the school’s students and a half-dozen teachers are Muslim and celebrate Eid. Leading up to the holiday, my grandson got the chance to share his holiday with his peers, which, before its installation was just another day students took off with no explanation. After the announcement, Chancellor Fariña’s “teachable moment” comments at that press conference materialized with a curriculum to equip teachers across the city on how to talk about the Eid holidays with their students. Just last week, the Philadelphia school system followed New York City’s lead in adding the Eid holidays to its calendar.

Vision Zero represents an important achievement in pedestrian safety. April was the 7th anniversary of my cousin Yasmine’s tragic death in Sunset Park, where she was hit by a van making a speedy sharp turn. Had Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero program been in place, Yasmine would still be with us today for her daughter’s wedding engagement. In 2015, New York City saw the fewest traffic fatalities in history, with a 22 percent reduction, thanks a lower speed limit reduction and comprehensive safety plans implemented under Mayor de Blasio.

And lastly, I, and many New Yorkers, can have peace of mind knowing that we can count on the city’s expanded Paid Sick Leave Law. With an elderly mother-in-law, this was always in the back of our minds for my husband and me. We are so grateful to know that 3.4 million private and nonprofit sector workers will have access to paid sick leave.

I know that not just my family, but countless other New Yorkers have benefited from these policies, and we can do so much more by staying focused. While no leader is perfect, I believe Mayor de Blasio’s achievements deserve our praise and support. My prayer this Ramadan is that we continue to build momentum on the mayor’s trajectory of programs and policies that have narrowed the class divide and made the lives of so many New Yorkers easier.

Debbie Almontaser, Ph.D. is the president of Muslim Community Network