New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an apology Monday over a comment she’d made about Black children in the Bronx being unfamiliar with the word “computer.” Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference about her wish to make technology more widely available, Hochul said: “Right now we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is.” Her comment quickly drew condemnation from Bronx elected officials. New York Assembly Member Karines Reyes said she was “deeply disturbed” by Hochul’s remarks and shared a statement from her colleague Amanda Septimo describing the governor’s words as “harmful, deeply misinformed, and genuinely appalling.” “Earlier today, while discussing my commitment to expanding economic opportunity for communities of color, I misspoke and I regret it,” Hochul said in a statement apologizing for the comment. “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.”
