Gov. Kathy Hochul honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Harlem on Monday during a visit to the Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater New York and Vicinity’s 57th Annual MLK Day Celebration.
The event took place at the historic church where Dr. King delivered his final speech in New York City — a reminder of his enduring legacy and the ongoing struggle for justice.
“To be in this place, this hallowed sanctuary, where Dr. King came and spoke, not knowing it would be his last time to ever speak in a New York City church, he poured his heart out, as he often does, and shared with this congregation his thoughts about where we’re heading,” Hochul said during her Jan. 20 remarks in which she drew parallels between the current state of the country now and the turbulent time of Dr. King’s last address.
“Now it’s time to stand up and say what you’re going to do. And who you’re fighting for. And I took note that the name of this conference is, “Honoring the Dream, We’re Still Standing.” I say we’re not just still standing, we’re still marching. We’re not done marching yet,” she said.
Reflecting on her own childhood in Buffalo, Hochul recounted the profound impact of Dr. King’s work on her life.
“The influence on my life was profound, even as a child, and the night that he was assassinated – that fateful day on a spring day in April – my family gathered, we held hands, we prayed and we cried, because we knew, we knew we lost one of the great ones,” she said.
Hochul reaffirmed her commitment to action amid many significant financial challenges facing New Yorkers every day — from escalating childcare expenses to rising grocery prices.
The governor made a commitment to action, announcing initiatives aimed at alleviating financial burdens including her proposal to expand New York’s child tax credit. The initiative would affect 2.75 million children giving New York families an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per child under age four and up to $500 per child from four through sixteen.
“We have found a way, and I’ll be announcing my budget tomorrow,” she said. “As I declared last week, my fight is your family. Because New Yorkers are struggling too much. They have too many struggles. Inflation is not their fault. Everything costs more.”
Hochul underscored Dr. King’s ethos by calling for collective action and justice. “Now it’s time to stand up and say what you’re going to do. And who you’re fighting for,” she said. “As a community, as people, as New Yorkers, we will fight for our rights with every fiber of our being.”
Hochul alleges one of her steps toward justice was convening a reparations commission to discuss the lasting effects of slavery.
In a powerful reminder of the importance of inclusivity, she noted that the celebration of MLK Day coincided with Inauguration Day and reaffirmed her dedication to championing equity for all New Yorkers.
“Whatever comes our way for the next four years,” she said, “we are ready to continue the march forward to real justice and freedom in the great State of New York.”
