[Music]
Hi everyone. I am Dasha Bunks and welcome to our 9th annual Unity Walk. So this is actually my first event. So I'm really really excited. So I would like to thank the East Bronzo Human Relations Council. Guys, give them a round of applause for helping put all this
together. So, someone recently asked me, "Why do I do this? Why is that falling down?" Someone recently asked me, "Why do I do this?" The question is, why are we doing this? Why do we take time out
of our jam-packed schedules to be here? I could stand here and talk about the importance of diversity by throwing out statistics like the one from Harvard Business Review that said more diverse companies have a 19% higher innovation
revenue. That's amazing. But everyone here already knows the positive impacts from diversity and its importance. We already know what we need to do to learn to respect and embrace each other's differences until our differences don't
make a difference. See what I did there? I never would have imagined that I would be given such an opportunity to speak in front of you and to share my story. My mother came to this country with nothing except a young daughter and two elderly grandparents. She ultimately settled
down here in East Brunswick because she wanted to give me a great public education and a chance to pursue the American dream. I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of the East Brunswick school system. I was surrounded by dedicated teachers who
guided me, encouraged me, supported me. Some of those teachers are actually still here today supporting me. These runs schools gave me access to incredible resources that have shaped who I am today. And I made lifelong friends and
relationships from all different backgrounds. Somehow it never mattered where we came from, just where we're going. But I'm not the only immigrant or the only person with a story to share. Looking around at all of you today, we've created a strong community whether
we consciously realize it or not. Now, isn't that something worth celebrating? Please give yourselves a round of applause. It is because each and every one of you today that we came here together in unity like this. Now, let's
start celebrating our differences. Shall we? Please welcome my amazing event co-chair, Amed. Thank you, Han. Got it. Good evening, everybody. Uh my name is Ahmed Sayyad and I'm a fellow
resident of East Brunswick community. Um before we kick off things, I would like to share a little bit about East Brunswick Human Relations Council. The core value of this council is to promote diversity and inclusion by bringing people together regardless of their
faith, color, or religion or cultural background. And this is what makes us, you know, together as a great community. Just like Dasha said to echo her words. Um without a further ado, let's get started. Uh I would like to invite for
pledge of allegiance Tom Ecohill, VFW Post 133 and our scouting America. Please give them a big round of applause. Present arms. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and
to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [Applause] [Music] a little different this year. You guys are going to help me cuz you don't want
to hear me sing. I promise you that. Uh we're all going to sing together the Star Spangled Banner. Dr. Jamie Falco can help come up because she's an amazing singer. Oh, say can you see by the dawn early light what so
proudly we held at the twilight last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight are the ramp parts we watched.
were so gallently streaming. And the rockets red glare, the bumps bursting in air, gave proof
through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star spangled b
yet? Or the land of the free and the home of the brave. [Music] [Applause]
Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Jamie Falco, my best friend, is very talented. Wow, that was amazing. Uh, now for the recitation of community pledge, I would like to invite on the stage our student representative. Please give them a big
round of applause. [Applause] Hello everybody. My name is Steven Shen and I'm the ninth grade representative. Uh, hi. My name is Hamza Hassan. I'm the 10th grade representative. My name is Riti Gore and I'm the 11th
grade representative. [Applause] So, as I recite the community pledge, uh, audience members, please uh, repeat after me. So, as part of as as part of this diverse diverse multicultural community,
I pledge to pro promote respect. and understanding among members, irrespective of their choices, choices, religion and culture. Religion and culture. I will embrace our similarities I will
embrace our similarities and differences through conversation and differences through conversation and productive interchange. Productive interchange I will demonstrate our commitment I will demonstrate our commitment to preserve
and promote preserve and promote unity in our community unity in our community so that current and future generations so that our current and future generations can thrive in peace thrive in peace both here and around the world
both here and around the world. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you so so much. Guys, give a warm welcome to our mayor of East Brunswick, Dr. Brad Cohen.
[Applause] Good day, sir. Thank you. Thank you. First of all, I want to thank everybody for coming out tonight. And I do also want to thank the entire human relations council for putting together this ninth annual unity walk. I think
that it's a real testament to the township that despite all the things that are going on around the world and around our communities and within the state that we're here together to celebrate our diversity and what puts us all together, which is not that. Uh so
uh first of all, I'm humbled. I'm honored to stand before you today uh for this 9th annual unity walk here in East Brunswick. Our community has a very very long history of diversity and inclusivity. And it's also inspiring to
look around and actually see so many young people that are here today because that's really what it's all about. They need to be there so that we can all see the differences uh among our backgrounds and our ethnicities, religions, and heritages. All coming here together to
spread a message of hope through unity and solidarity. It's especially nice when we see uh these children learning that these are the guideposts that will guide them uh through their future. I've always said that diversity
by itself is really nothing but an adjective. It is a data set. Just like Dasha was saying earlier, it's uh chat GBT would probably have a field day with all those numbers. Um, but unity comes when we change diversity from an
adjective and make it a verb, an action word. When groups work together, understanding their differences and recognizing that there's a benefit when all of them come together as a whole. I remember years ago, probably most of your parents will
remember, a movie called My Big Fat Greek Wedding. And in the movie there was a it was the story of a young Greek girl who was getting married to do to somebody who her father was absolutely ahored at because she was going to marry somebody
who was not Greek. That was a big deal. And she was very upset and her mother was sitting and talking to her before the wedding because her father was so upset that she was not marrying somebody Greek. And the mother looks at her and she says, "Tula," which was the name of the the daughter, says, "Tula, Tula,
Tula." You have to remember one thing. The man is the head and the head just keeps talking. But the woman, the woman is the neck, and the man isn't. The neck will
control everything that the head sees. So, you must remember that you're going to do just fine because you're only the man's only going to see what the head allows it to see. And so, I use that example because if you look around and
watch mainstream media news right now, you would think that everybody hates each other and that everybody is polarized and that we're all at different ends of political spectrums, religious spectrums, and we don't get along. But the react real reality to all
of this is is that if you stop looking at where the news wants you to look because they certainly want us looking there and actually concentrate on the examples of unity and solidarity and people working together that's around us every single
day. You'll recognize that the whole is so much greater than the parts. And those examples come from multiple areas. It could be team sports, whether they're national sports or sports right here in your own town. People coming together for a common cause, whether it's a
nonprofit organization nationally. We could look at organizations such as um Habitat for Humanity, which works to help people that are homeless, or people and organizations right here in your own town like Feeding Middle Sex County or CASA that work for people who are
deprived, food deprived. You have those examples of people from all different backgrounds working together right here. They could be corporate examples whether those are Amazon and Google of companies of thousands and thousands of people that come together to come and produce a
product or the companies that are right here where you work. social movements such as civil rights movements, LGBTQ rights movements, women's rights movements, they didn't come to fruition because of just women or just people who
were in the LGBT community or just African-Americans. They didn't get those rights unless everybody came together to work to for those common goods or global cooperation such as climate change or wildlife preserve that's going on around
the world. people together from all different backgrounds work to make those happen or community resistance to national disasters or COVID that didn't hit one group of people. We got through that because we all worked on those
issues together. So stop listening to the news and start looking at what's right in front of your face. And in East Brunswick, we celebrate our differences with love and with compassion. And we remember that all human beings, each of
us, deserves to be treated with respect and with dignity. And when we're united, the strength and the power that we gain makes our biggest adversaries, our
largest critics, and our loudest agitators look really small and petty. Thank you. What an amazing school. Thank you so much, Mayor Con. Now, I would like to
invite our guest speaker from our board of education, East Brunswick, Dr. Jamie Falco. Please give her a big round of applause, please. So, they told me I could sing or speak. I didn't know I'd have to do both. With no, you got to do both. Yeah.
Um, I'm so pleased to be with you all today. Thank you neighbors and friends for coming. Um, you know, it's so funny because I thought about what to say tonight and I'd really like to keep it short and sweet. And I'm going to quote Whitney Houston from my fifth grade
moving up ceremony from Bow Monroe. I sang The Greatest Love of All is a solo thanks to Mrs. Harrington, my music teacher. And um, it says that I believe that children are our future. teach them well and let them lead the way. And we
see that here in East Brunswick. We see that with our children who show us that they are united, that there are no differences because they are all equal in their eyes. And I think we should live through the eyes of our children and see the world the way they do. That
it's beautiful and that we should all be celebrated and we are all community. Thank you. Thank you, Jamie. Now, I would like to invite our second guest from Board of Education, East Brunswick, Dr. Joyce
Bolley, who is also an assistant superintendent of our board of education. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. What a beautiful night this is for this event. We're so lucky. So, it's a true honor to be before you today at the 9th annual Unity
Walk, an event that beautifully reflects the spirit and values of this community. As the assistant superintendent of academics, I have the privilege of working every day with students, educators, and families who come from incredibly diverse backgrounds,
cultures, and perspectives. And yet, what binds us together, what makes East Brunswick truly special, is our shared commitment to respect, inclusion, and understanding. Today's walk is more than just a step forward on a path. It is a
step forward in solidarity. Each footstep we take together sends a powerful message that unity is not just an ideal, but a practice. a practice that must begin in our homes, continue in our classrooms, and echo through
every corner of our community. In our schools, we we strive every day to teach more than just math and reading. We teach empathy. We teach equity. We teach the important of listening to each other's stories and standing up for one
another. And events like this unity walk remind us that the lessons of compassion and connection are not confined to the classroom. They are lived out here among all of us. So, thank you again to the East Brunswick Human Relations Council
for organizing this vital event. Thank you to every student, parent, educator, and neighbor here today for choosing unity over division and hope over fear. Let's keep walking together toward a future where everyone feels seen,
valued, and empowered. Thank you, and enjoy the walk. Thank you. Wonderful guys. Thank you so so much. It is with the greatest honor that I invite our guest speaker, Mr. Nicholas Cabrera, veteran and owner of Diesel Academy.
Give him a round of applause. Thank you. So, first I wanted to thank Dasha and I wanted to thank thank Jamie for uh having me come out today to speak to you guys. And uh I'm really glad to connect with you. East New Brunswick is a really great town.
Um we are nomads, not metaphorically, but literally. The human story is one of movement. From the ancient Bingian migrations that connected what we now call Russia to Alaska to the great waves across
subsahara Africa to the steps of central Asia and the islands of the Pacific. Our species has always moved, always searched. But let's not romanticize that too much. We did not travel simply for
love. We moved for land. We moved for power. We moved for survival, for conquest, for gold sometimes and even for glory. And yet through it all, through war and wonder, through buried dreams and bold beginnings, one thing
remain. Community. Whether to build something beautiful or to justify something broken, it is always done in groups, in tribes, in towns. Because human beings don't act alone. we commit
together. So the real question is not whether we build through community but what kind of community we will build. Let us choose intentionally. Let us choose
kindness. Let us choose to build something beautiful here now in East Brunswick. Not out of fear or scarcity or noise, but out of the belief that shared purpose still
matters. Unity isn't just a word. It's a discipline. It's something we return to, not once, but every day, like our breath. I've seen it overseas. I've served in Haiti, in Saudi Arabia, in
Italy, in Kuwait. I've stood in rooms where many people did not speak my language. And yet over tea and dates with the Saudi Ministry of Defense police, I laughed, I listened, I learned, we shared stories, soldier to
soldier, father to father. And what I found in every conversation across continents, across cultures, was something we all crave. Love for families, desire for freedom, the need to be seen and
understood. Unity starts here. It's in the dinner table stories that sound more familiar than foreign. It's in the way your grandmother and mine steam rice the same way. Whether she's from Bertham, boys, she's from
Peru or Pakistan. It's in the knowing nods, the quiet smiles, the shared work. Today, let it be about that kind of unity, the kind built from the bottom up, from neighbors, from youth, from
laughter and labor and grief. And if I've learned anything from coaching young athletes, mentoring teens, serving in the military, and helping families reclaim structure, it's that strength is not just about how much you can lift. It's about how much you
can carry mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Stillness is a skill. Breath is a weapon. And kindness in the face of chaos is the rarest form of courage. Toughness isn't aggression. It is
clarity. It's knowing who you are in the middle of noise. It's choosing posture after the mistake. Breath before the next move and presence in the face of pressure. We should teach young people
to be strong. We should show them how to feel and not drown in it. to be sharp and still, fierce and kind, quietly resilient. That's what I believe unity is. It's not about being
the same. It's about seeing the same humanity in each other, especially when it's hard. So today, let's walk together. Let's laugh like cousins. Let's disagree a little like
family a little. Let's tell stories, ask questions, shake hands, and remember that the future isn't built in DC. It's built right here in parks like this on days like this for purpose, for people, for power,
together. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you, Nicholas. That was very powerful. Yeah. Uh now for the closing remarks, I would like to invite our
chair and co-chair uh of East Brunswick Human Relations Council. Please be uh give a big round of applause to Aram Shakir, our chair, and David Gil for who's our co-chair. Thank you. Thank you, Dasha. Thank you, Ahmed. Um,
I hope you guys are having a wonderful time. The weather is absolutely amazing. Um, I'd like to start with um, thanking all of you for joining us today. I'd like to also express my gratitude to our event chairs, Dasha and Ahmed. Please give them a round of applause.
Additionally, I wanted to acknowledge our vice chair Debbie for her guidance as well as our community leaders and all the guests who have spoken this evening. So, thank you so much and please give them a round of applause. There's a few acknowledgements that you may see on the back of the brochure that I wanted to acknowledge. First and
foremost, Mayor Brad Cohen, VFW Post 133. Scouting America pack and troop 132 and 501 [Applause] EBTV especially Anthony East Brunswick Arts
Coalition East Brunswick Interfaith Clergy Council East Brunswick Board of Education East Brunswick Public Library Asian-American and Pacific Islander
[Applause] Mom's Club of East Brunswick, Department of Recreation, Parks and Community Service, especially John right there. Spotswood Shop right for donating so many yummy yummy goodies. So, make sure
you guys have some Diesel Academy and of course the DJ veteran Frank Doc Shop. All right. Right there. Kiwani. Kiwani's Club. Kiwani International.
Noah Jewelers. Noah Jewelers. East Brunswick Women's Club. East Brunswick Women's Club. Woohoo. Uh before I proceed and I give the mic over to Dy, I kind of wanted to talk about our council. Um, at East Brunswick Human Relation Council, we believe that
fostering connections between cultures and communities lead to a more innovative, collaborative, and inspiring world. The primary goal of our walk today is to unite our community and publicly demonstrate our solidarity. By walking together in this meaningful act of togetherness, we strive to promote
understanding, cooperation, and unity among all members of our community. So, thank you again, and I'm going to pass it off to Debbie. Thank you everyone for coming. We would also like to acknowledge and thank our following official officials for
attending. Nancy Pinkin, county clerk. Kevin McCoy, council president. Dana Zimiki, vice president, council vice president. Dana Winston, council woman. Dhal,
councilman, Rob Zuckermanman, economic development officer. Will Ber Pan, board of education member, Jamie Falco, code of education member, and also our code of education representative, leazison for EBHRC. Additionally, I'd like to
acknowledge our East Brunswick human relations council members, Elaine, Ela Risley, Aram Shakir, Mr. So, Ward, Taran, Reber, Tamar, Fatoss,
TK, Frank, and our student representatives. Thank you all for coming. Holly, I did say Holly, but I didn't post. Sorry, Holly. You were on my list. Thank you everyone. Thank you so much everyone for coming.
Now, we're going to have the scouts lead the walk first with the American flag and then after that, we'd like all the community members to come with their banners and just follow them. Thank you. Thank you. [Music]
Heat. Heat. [Music]
Oh, hey. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music]