New York City’s current administration reused footage from a previous mayor’s office in its Indigenous Peoples’ Day social media posts, drawing criticism for recycling old material rather than producing new content. The clips, originally created to mark the city’s 400th anniversary in 2025, highlight the history of the Lenape people, the Indigenous inhabitants of the region.

The video, nearly two minutes in length, was first released in January 2025 under then-Mayor Eric Adams’s office. It provides an overview of the Lenape’s historical presence in what is now New York City. The recent posts from Mayor Zo Mamdani’s team included segments of this earlier video to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, with messages acknowledging Indigenous New Yorkers’ cultural contributions and resilience.

However, former deputy mayor of communications under Adams, Fabien Levy, publicly expressed concern over the use of recycled footage. Levy noted the administration’s decision to repurpose last year’s video diminished the representation of the Lenape people and said it reflected a lack of effort by the current mayor’s communications team, which is known for emphasizing its digital engagement.

While the reuse of the video was intended to recognize Indigenous contributions to the city, some observers highlighted the administration’s omission of references to other cultural groups, including Italian-American New Yorkers traditionally associated with Columbus Day celebrations. The Mamdani administration has downplayed Columbus Day in its messaging, choosing instead to focus on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The practice of repurposing past content in government communications is not uncommon but may raise questions about the commitment to current engagement on important cultural observances. The Mamdani administration has yet to comment directly on the critique or explain its reasons for utilizing existing footage rather than commissioning new materials for this year’s observance.