New York Governor Hochul reacted sharply when he claimed that black children did not know what “computer” meant.

A controversial remark about black children in New York has put New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a difficult position.

Discussing the necessity to bring AI technology jobs to Black and Brown communities at Monday’s Milken Institute Global Conference, Hochul said, “Right now there are little Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word is.” “computer” is.”

The governor’s comments were quickly condemned by New York lawmakers, including Assembly members Karines Reyes and John Zaccaro, who represent the Bronx within the state legislature.

She added: “But I want to be careful and be fair here… go back and hear exactly what she said.”

Markus Batchelor, national political director of the progressive advocacy group People For the American Way, called Gov. Hochul’s remark “unhelpful and thoughtless rhetoric” that confirmed “the assumption in voters’ minds that our leaders are too disconnected from the experiences of those they represent — especially in the event that they are black and poor.

Blake, a former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said that if Hochul, as governor, “thinks you don’t know what a computer is in 2024,” then “you have to wonder, what does she think of you as a human being?”

The founder and CEO of the KAIROS Democratic Project said that as Democratic leader, Hochul also showed that “racism, ignorance and privilege are not limited to just one party.”

“We definitely have better policies, but we still fall victim to our leaders clinging to problematic beliefs,” he explained. “So there is definitely more work to be done.” However, he explained that in comparison with the choice Republican Party, “I’d rather be on our side than on their side.”

Instead of constructing controversial comments about inner-city black children, Blake said leaders should as a substitute support organizations like The Knowledge House, a Bronx-based entity that goals to shut educational gaps in low-income neighborhoods; and the National GEM Consortium, which focuses on improving STEM degree rates amongst Black people and other underrepresented groups.

“We should be talking about them,” Blake said, “and when comments like this come up, we feel hurt and distracted, not empowered and uplifted.”

Hochul, who tried to publicize Empire’s $400 million statewide AI initiative, finally apologized for it staTmenttelling the New York Post that “she has spoken.”

“Obviously black kids in the Bronx know what computers are,” the New York governor said. “The problem is that too often they lack access to the technology needed to find well-paying jobs in emerging industries like artificial intelligence. That is why, from day one of my term, I have focused on expanding economic opportunity.”

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