‘I Misspoke’: NY Gov. Kathy Hochul Apologizes After Claiming ‘Black Kids’ in the Bronx ‘Don’t Even Know What the Word Computer Is’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul apologized on Monday after she received backlash for claiming that “young Black kids” in the Bronx “don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is.”
During a speech at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles on Monday, Hochul boasted:
Now what we have is the money to build a phenomenal super computer that is gonna be accessible to the researchers in New York, college students, will attract more federal grants, and this is how we lay down the mark. No state has done this. In fact, I talk to a lot of other people who say, “I wish my governor had thought of that first.” I say, “No no, this is New York. We like to be first,” with all due respect to you from other states. It’s sort of our attitude. We will be the best, we will be the first, and I want others to follow because right now we have, you know, young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word “computer” is. They don’t know. They don’t know these things.
She continued, “And I want the world opened up to all of them because when you have their diverse voices innovating solutions through technology, then you’re really addressing society’s broader challenges.”
The governor’s comments were quickly picked up by officials in the Bronx, who condemned Hochul’s “disheartening” words.
“I’m deeply troubled by the recent statements made by Governor Kathy Hochul,” wrote New York State Assembly Member John Zaccaro Jr. in a statement. “The underlying perception conveyed about Black and brown children from the Bronx is not only disheartening but also deeply concerning.”
Assembly Member Karines Reyes said she was “deeply disturbed” by Hochul’s remarks and “the underlying perception that she has of Black & brown children from the BX.”
“Our children are bright, brilliant, extremely capable, and more than deserving of any opportunities that are extended to other kids,” Reyes wrote. “Do better.”
Assembly Member Amanda Septimo called Hochul’s comments “harmful, deeply misinformed, and genuinely appalling,” and accused the governor of “repeating harmful stereotypes,” while Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie described Hochul’s remarks as “inartful and hurtful.”
Following the backlash, Hochul apologized for her remarks in a statement to the New York Post.
“I misspoke and I regret it,” claimed the governor. “Of course Black children in the Bronx know what computers are — the problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like AI. That’s why I’ve been focused on increasing economic opportunity since Day One of my Administration.”
Watch above via Kathy Hochul.
