Rev. Al Sharpton, Mayor Adams hosts Thanksgiving dinner for families at National Action Network

N.J. Burkett Image
Thursday, November 28, 2024
National Action Network fosters community at its annual Thanksgiving meal
N.J. Burkett reports from Harlem.

HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- Rev. Al Sharpton hosted his annual Thanksgiving dinner at the National Action Network's House of Justice in Harlem on Thursday.

Mayor Eric Adams joined Sharpton for the event for the city's underserved. The event was open to all.

Those who attended stepped out of the cold rain and into a warm room packed with smiling, grateful faces.

"It means family, it means friends," said Harlem's Kim Taylor. "It means getting together. It means happiness."

The dinner has been a Harlem tradition for more than 30 years. Some of the neediest people in New York and some of the most powerful people in New York gathering together under one roof to celebrate.

The line to get in stretched out the door and into the rain.

"I remember growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, single mother, and she would struggle to give us Thanksgiving dinner," Sharpton said. "And I always said if I ever got in a position, I'd made sure that some kid and their mama -like I was- would have Thanksgiving, if nobody served it but me."

Community leaders were also on hand to fill the plates for those who attended, including New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

"It's really about giving back," Williams said. "I think we have some tough times ahead."

Dr. Jessie Fields, who also works in the community said she wasn't missing the chance to volunteer for such a community gathering.

"This morning I got up and I decided this would be the best place for me to be, where people are helping each other," she said. "The way the community's coming. It's Thanksgiving! That's the spirit of Thanksgiving."

A turkey distribution for families followed the dinner.

ALSO READ: Record number of Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving holiday across the U.S.

Raegan Medgie has more on what to expect on the roads and at the airports as people travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.

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