The labor song Bread and Roses was sung ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on January 1.
Video shared on social media shows the song being performed as supporters gathered outside City Hall prior to the ceremony.
NYC — The socialist Labor Party anthem “Bread and Roses” is sang ahead of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s swearing in. pic.twitter.com/ajRcAgs3Zw
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 1, 2026
Mamdani was sworn in later that day and delivered an inaugural address in which he said he would govern “as a democratic socialist.”
“I was elected a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” Mamdani said during the address.
Inauguration Ceremony
Mamdani was publicly sworn in outside City Hall by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). During Sanders’ remarks, attendees chanted “tax the rich,” according to published reports.
After taking the oath of office, Mamdani told the crowd he planned to govern “expansively and audaciously,” reiterating proposals that include rent freezes, free public bus service, expanded childcare programs, and higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations.
Earlier in the day, Mamdani also participated in a smaller swearing-in ceremony administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to published reports.
About the Song
Bread and Roses originated as a 1911 poem by James Oppenheim and became associated with labor organizing during the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike in Massachusetts. The song has since been used at labor, feminist, and socialist political events.
The song was not referenced directly in Mamdani’s inaugural remarks.
Bread and Roses continues to be used at contemporary socialist and socialist-feminist political gatherings. At a March 2023 international conference in Vienna organized by the ROSA Socialist Feminist Movement, more than 200 attendees from over 20 countries participated in a closing performance of the song, according to reporting published by the Socialist Party. Organizers described the song as a “socialist-feminist anthem” reflecting demands for both material security and broader social change.
Election Background
Mamdani won the November 2025 mayoral election with just over 50% of the vote, according to certified election results. He assumed office shortly after midnight on January 1 as New York City’s 112th mayor.
Mamdani’s election followed a campaign that emphasized socialist economic policies, including rent freezes and expanded public services, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The inauguration took place amid freezing temperatures, with thousands of attendees gathered outside City Hall, according to event organizers.
