#BringBackOurGirls: New York Mayor and Reverend Al Sharpton March On Boko Haram School Girls Kidnap

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and at least 200 local residents, and elected officials, all representing a cross section of activists, and concerned citizens took part in a rally in front of the Nigerian Consulate on Saturday afternoon. It was the second such gathering in front of the Consulate this week with public attention squarely focused on the fate the still missing 200 plus female students kidnapped by the Boko Haram in mid-April.

The New York Mayor weighing in on the issue is significant for a locally elected official in the U.S. Most U.S. mayors and governors avoid speaking out on a global issue not directly touching their jurisdiction, even one as controversial as the kidnapping of the 200 plus female students in Nigeria.

That mayor de Blasio spoke out, and marched alongside fellow citizens will likely change the tenor of the debate in America’s most international of cities. De Blasio who addressed the crowd of roughly 200, said that the kidnappings in Borno State “should be denounced around the world.” His wife and daughter at the march that assembled in front of the consulate joined the mayor.