New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has said she “misspoke” when she claimed some Black children in the Bronx don’t know the word “computer.”
On Monday, the governor was highlighting her $400 million artificial intelligence initiative at a meeting of billionaires and business leaders in California when she said , “Right now, we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is. They don’t know these things.”
Her comments prompted a swift backlash. New York state Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo (D), whose district includes the Bronx, condemned the remarks as “harmful, deeply uninformed and genuinely appalling.”
In a statement later Monday, Hochul said , “I misspoke and I regret it.”
“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,” she said.
“That’s why I’ve been focused on increasing economic opportunity since Day One of my Administration, and will continue that fight to ensure every New Yorker has a shot at a good-paying job.”