Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s 2018 campaign kickoff speech included the following portion of an energized and enthusiastically received speech.

Responding to the large show of support, the mayor started by saying:

“I’m humbled by it. I don’t take it for granted. I think the city needs this completely. What you see here is we are united. We believe that in order to get things done we need the council with us. We need the county executive with us. We need the next governor of the state of New Jersey with us. We need our freeholders with us. We need our state legislators with us.  We need our freeholders with us. We need the mayors of the cities around us with us. we need to need the entire interfaith alliance with us as well.

“This is not a time for division, for separation, for petty differences. We have a lot of work to do. It’s a rough journey and a rough city. We have a president that is going to poise himself to oppose many of the things we are trying to do right here in the city of Newark. We don’t have time to be on a lonely island; we have to be together. We need to continue to move the city forward. We have a state, party and city that’s unified.

“It took us some effort but we have begun unifying this place with the help of the leaders behind us. There is no enemy too big for us to fight, no goal too far for us to reach. It’s important for us to stay together. I’m asking you humbly to reelect us all next year in May of 2018.

“Why?

“Because we need to continue to move Newark forward. We have to move forward no matter how rough the terrain.

“We have to look forward, move forward and go forward.”