Cheri Sparacio
Role at the time: September 11 victim's widow speaking personally
Condemned
Statement summary
Sparacio opposed Mamdani's attendance on the basis of his policies and associations, including his relationship with Hasan Piker, while saying her objection was not to his religion or background.
“It is strictly about the policies that he has today”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)CNN interviews Shahana Hanif and Cheri Sparacio about Mamdani's memorial attendanceHanif and Sparacio quotations in Partisan rancor threatens solemn unity of 9/11 ceremony
CNN's original reporting directly attributes different positions to city council member Shahana Hanif and victim's widow Cheri Sparacio. Hanif objects to exclusion on religious grounds. Sparacio says her objection concerns Mamdani's policies and associations, not his religion. The page specifies publication on September 10 at 5:00 a.m. ET.
Why we used this label
The article identifies her participation in the campaign against attendance and records her stated reasons for that opposition.