New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she was trying to make a point on Monday about young Black children lacking access to the technology they need to break into emerging tech industries.
But her remarks at the time drew immediate condemnation from some lawmakers in the Bronx, the very borough she cited.
“Right now, we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is,” the governor said on Monday during a moderated discussion at a Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles.
The backlash on social media was swift. In one example, New York state Assemblymember Karines Reyes — who represents Parkchester, West Farms and other Bronx neighborhoods — said Hochul’s comments revealed her “underlying perception … of Black and brown children” from the borough.
“Our children are bright, brilliant, extremely capable and more than deserving of any opportunities that are extended to other kids,” Reyes said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Do better.”
By the end of the day, Hochul said she “misspoke.”
“While discussing my commitment to expanding economic opportunity for communities of color, I misspoke and I regret it,” she said in a statement. “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 [artificial intelligence].”
Hochul’s initial comments came as she spoke on stage with journalist Jonathan Capehart of MSNBC and the Washington Post. Capehart had asked about one of the governor’s pet projects: New York’s $400 million “Empire AI” initiative, a research consortium featuring some of the state’s top universities that will have access to a supercomputer facility in the Buffalo area. Hochul first announced the plan in her State of the State address in January.
At the Milken Institute event, she spoke about her hope to make New York a leader in AI research, saying she wants to “be the first, and I want others to follow.” She was starting to transition to a point about increasing the diversity of viewpoints in the tech industry when she uttered the line about Black kids in the Bronx.
“I want the world opened up to all of them,” she said immediately after her controversial remarks. “Because when you have their diverse voices innovating solutions through technology, then you’re really addressing society’s broader challenges.”
Reyes wasn’t the only legislator from the Bronx who repudiated Hochul’s comments about the borough’s children. State Assemblymember Amanda Septimo, a Democrat representing parts of the South Bronx, said they were “harmful, deeply misinformed and genuinely appalling.”
“The Bronx I know and love is full of children who are smart, curious and eager for opportunities to learn and grow,” Septimo said in a statement.
Assemblymember John Zaccaro Jr. of Pelham Parkway said he was “deeply disturbed” by what Hochul had said. “The underlying perception conveyed about Black and brown children from the Bronx is not only disheartening but also deeply concerning,” he noted.
Other Bronx lawmakers stuck up for the governor without defending her initial comment.
State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat from the borough, told the New York Post that Hochul’s comments, while “inartful and hurtful,” don’t reflect “where her heart is.” “I firmly believe she wants to see all of our students excel,” he said.
And Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia pointed out on X that “Black and brown children in the Bronx have been forgotten” for years.
“I know [Hochul] is committed to investing in the future of our children in the Bronx and I’m glad she apologized for her comments,” she said.