(ConservativeInsider.org) – The white Democrat Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, apologized on Tuesday, May 7 after making comments at the Milken Institute Global Conference days earlier, stating that there are black children who are unaware of what a computer is.
At the conference, which was held in Los Angeles, California this year from May 5th to 8, Gov. Hochul was discussing her state’s new initiative to fund the development of artificial intelligence and teaching kids in low-income areas about cutting-edge technology. The initiative is called “Empire AI” and has $400 million allotted to the program currently. Hochul remarked that New York wants to be the first and the best at something. She followed up those comments with the odd statement that there are black children from the Bronx who don’t know “what the word ‘computer’ is.”
Unsurprisingly, the comment was immediately criticized by many, including elected officials in the Bronx. Karines Reyes, a New York State Assembly Member, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the Governor’s comments, calling children in the Bronx “bright, brilliant, [and] extremely capable,” adding that they deserve just as many opportunities as other children. She finished her statement by telling Gov. Hochul to “do better.” John Zaccaro Jr, another Assembly Member, said Hochul’s comments were “disheartening” and “deeply concerning.”
However, some Bronx officials stood up for the Governor, such as Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who said that though Hochul’s words were poorly chosen, he believes she wants “all of our students” to thrive. He added that he hopes the governor can help the state increase their efforts to increase access to technology to students in the Bronx.
Hochul spoke to the media and apologized for her comment, saying she regrets her comment and that she “misspoke” at the conference. She stated that “of course” Bronx kids know about computers and clarified that the issue is they frequently do not have access to the kinds of educational opportunities and technology that will lead to high-paying jobs in cutting-edge technology industries.
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