Overview
- The governor proclaimed January as Muslim American Heritage Month and directed 16 state landmarks to glow green on Jan. 2.
- The One World Trade Center spire was illuminated, with the governor’s office sharing images of the display.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other Muslim elected officials praised the action as overdue recognition of the community’s role in the state.
- Critics, including some politicians and commentators, called the World Trade Center lighting insensitive because of the site’s connection to the 9/11 attacks.
- No reversal has been announced, and additional sites lit included the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Grand Central Terminal’s Pershing Square Viaduct, the State Education Building, Niagara Falls, and several transit gateways.