De Blasio Speaks At His Son’s High School Graduation

NEW YORK (AP) —

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was propelled to office in part by a campaign ad featuring his son talking about racial injustice, spoke at the teenager’s graduation ceremony on Friday and returned to that theme, imploring students not to give in to cynicism in the wake of the South Carolina church shooting.

“There’s been tragic violence against black men and women in America,” de Blasio told the graduating class at Brooklyn Tech High School, which included his son Dante. “It’s one of the many challenges we face.”

But the event wasn’t all political.

Acting like any other proud parent, the mayor of the nation’s largest city cheered and waved wildly when he saw his son — his large trademark Afro barely able to support the graduating mortar board — march in with the rest of his class.

“I am so grateful to have this chance to address you, and for many reasons — perhaps the most important of which is that Dante de Blasio will have to listen to me for the next 10 minutes without interrupting,” he teased.

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