NYC Mayor Receives Jailhouse Baptism From Al Sharpton On Good Friday

Eric Adams, the current mayor of New York City, spent his Good Friday being baptized in the Rikers Island jailhouse from Reverend Al Sharpton. On March 29, the mayor underwent the religious ceremony and spent time with a group of incarcerated men for the holiday.

Adams told ABC News that spending the day with the incarcerated men was important to him because of his past run-ins with law enforcement. “Having been arrested and then elected mayor, I reminded these young men that where you are is not who you are,” Adams explained in a statement. The Democratic mayor continued, “For the first time in their lives, their mayor didn’t look down at them — I sat side-by-side with them to be cleansed and recommit ourselves to getting on the right path.”

Coverage of the Good Friday event showed Adams and Sharpton praying together and of Reverend Sharpton washing Adams’ feet and baptizing him as per the traditional ceremony. 

In another interview on The Breakfast Club, Adams recalled his meeting with “a group of 12 young brothers who recommitted themselves to Christ.”

The meeting’s importance shows Adams’ political dedication to changing the narrative surrounding Rikers Island. The New York facility is a city-run jail that has historically been under scrutiny for being underfunded and systemically neglected. Adams has been involved in an ongoing legal battle that could result in the facility being put under federal management instead.

Adams has been consistently involved with Rikers. He said, “I’ve been on Rikers Island more than any mayor in the history of the city talking with inmates and correction officers to turn around what’s happening on Rikers Island.”

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