Governor Hochul: "I do want to thank everyone who held on during this pandemic. It was a brutal time. It was so hard. It just was soul crushing to see the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of hope that penetrated our whole community. But we're tough."
Earlier this morning, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Queens.
AUDIO is available here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Good morning, church. This is indeed the day that the Lord has made! And Hallelujah I am so happy to be alive and in your presence today. First of all, we all know that the Lord calls us to serve in so many countless ways as He's delivered His word to us. But one way that is profound is the calling of our clergy. And to know that Greater Allen has been a force of nature for decades because of the people the Lord called to serve here, Reverend Floyd Flake, for many years, and now the leader of this congregation, Reverend Elaine Flake, I am so honored to be in your presence. Thank you. Thank you for lifting people up and giving us hope when the days seems to never end and are so dark. You lifted so many people up during this pandemic. And it's interesting, how the Lord seems to be wanting to call women to serve these days. And we will do it with strength, but with heart. That's how women govern and that's how women lead a congregation like this. And that is my commitment to you.
I promised also, I said, I'm not only short, but I also give short speeches. So I said I want to be very brief here. And first of all, I do want to thank everyone who held on during this pandemic. It was a brutal time. It was so hard. It just was soul crushing to see the loss of life, the loss of jobs, the loss of hope that penetrated our whole community. But we're tough. We're New Yorkers, and we have God on our side and we are fighting back. And how are we fighting back from this pandemic? The vaccine has given us the strength, the sword to fight back. And I'm just going to ask you one thing, my friends. Take this week to go out and talk to the people, the family members, the people aren't so sure, the who people have little five to 11 year olds who are now able to get a vaccine. Tell them that they must do this. Because we can't just serve God, we serve each other and we serve each other by protecting each other. That is what we must do to get over this, so we can finally look at each other's beautiful faces without a mask on. I cannot wait to declare that over, but as Thanksgiving is approaching, this is the week that we can protect our grandparents and our loved ones, and make sure that we will be there for the next Thanksgiving and celebrate Christmas together.
This is the opportunity we have in one little bonus I want to tell you. We all know the value of education. Education has lifted so many people out of poverty, has given them a shot at a far better life. And God wants us to be as educated as we humanly can. My grandparents were immigrants, not educated. My father and mother lived in a trailer park, but what lifted them out of those dire straits was my dad was able to get a college degree. Now here's what I'm offering to the children who get a vaccine in the next few weeks. They can be eligible to win one of 50 full scholarships for a college education here in the state of New York, because I believe in the power of education. So help me get that word out. And yes, we have many challenges, and I'll be back many more times to talk about how we're going to protect our children in other ways, protect them from the specter of gun violence. Cause every baby deserves to grow up and be safe in their home and safe in their neighborhoods and safe in their schools. ]
I will commit to work on that with our new mayor and the new administration coming in, and I'm so proud to be joined by individuals like Councilmember Daneek Miller, who is here with us today to help fight the good fight in City Hall. You have outstanding elected officials here today, and our great Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, what a friend and ally he has been to me. You're going to hear much more from him and someone who I have not a chance to introduce for a long time. Someone who's making history himself. The first, First Gentlemen of New York, my husband, Bill Hochul. Let's give him a round of applause as well. So thank you, thank you for the opportunity for me to answer God's call to serve all of you. I am His humble servant and I, every day, I'll wake up and ask the Lord how I can use the strengths and the opportunity he's given me to better the lives of all His people. That is what I pledged to you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Reverend Flake for the honor to be here today.
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