Res. No. 450
Resolution declaring June 28 as Maria Antonia Cay Day in the City of New York to honor her enduring role in supporting and celebrating the Puerto Rican community and in preserving and uplifting its rich cultural heritage and traditions
By Council Members Williams, Gutiérrez, Encarnación, Cabán, Farías, Avilés, J. Sanchez and Louis
Whereas, Maria Antonia Cay, known affectionately to many New Yorkers as Toñita, was born on May 10, 1940, in Juncos, Puerto Rico, and moved to New York City (NYC) with her family in 1956; and
Whereas, After several years on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Cay moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where she worked as a factory seamstress while designing, making, and selling dresses through her own home-based business; and
Whereas, Eventually, Cay was able to buy the building where she lived and still lives and, in 1973, and to incorporate a Caribbean baseball team and her now-famous Caribbean Social Club, popularly known as Toñita’s; and
Whereas, For decades, Toñita’s brought together local baseball players, their families, and other local residents weekly to enjoy music, home-cooked food, dominoes, pool, and intergenerational conversations in a comfortable spot filled with family photographs, baseball posters, framed newspaper clippings, and flowered tablecloths; and
Whereas, In the face of gentrification, higher rents, and licensing hurdles, Cay successfully fought to keep Toñita’s open, serving as a social and cultural center for local Latino residents in the Los Sures neighborhood of the South Side of Williamsburg at its longstanding 244 Grand Street address; and
Whereas, Easily identified by her curly blonde hair and elaborate bejeweled rings, which she makes herself, Cay describes Toñita’s as “not like going to a restaurant…not like going to a bar…[but] like going to visit family”; and
Whereas, In recent years, GRAMMY-winning Puerto Rican performer Bad Bunny has spotlighted Toñita’s and its much-loved owner on numerous occasions, including on a visit for the launch of his fourth album, Un Verano Sin Ti, in 2022 and in his reference to “un shot de cañita en casa de Toñita” in his song “NUEVAYoL,” his tribute to the Nuyorican diaspora from his sixth album in 2025, Debí Tirar Más Fotos; and
Whereas, During the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, headliner Bad Bunny showcased a long list of guest stars and cameos, including Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Cardi B, Karol G, and Cay herself, who served him a shot just as in the lyrics from “NUEVAYoL,” on a set that recreated Toñita’s; and
Whereas, It is fitting to commemorate Cay’s longtime commitment to operating Toñita’s, one of the last social clubs of its kind, for the good of her community and beyond; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York declares June 28 as Maria Antonia Cay Day in the City of New York to honor her enduring role in supporting and celebrating the Puerto Rican community and in preserving and uplifting its rich cultural heritage and traditions.
LS #22237
4/23/2026
RHP