50 Cent Calls Out New York Gov. Kathy Hochul After She Said 'Black Kids' Don't Know What Computers Are
After New York Governor Kathy Hochul made a controversial statement at the Milken Institute Global Conference, 50 Cent took to Instagram to address her comments.
"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, they don't know these things," Hochul said while on stage Monday.
The Democrat was being interviewed at a large business conference in California where she discussed social inequality and economic opportunities in artificial intelligence for low-income communities, the Associated Press reports.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, shared: "I don't know, any black kids that don't know what a computer is in the Bronx" on Wednesday.
He continued: "WTF They know how to work a iPad better than me," according to Atlanta Black Star. In a separate post hours later, the "In da Club" rapper said, "I couldn't believe she said that."
Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo, a Bronx Democrat, also called out Hochul, 65, for her remarks, calling them "harmful, deeply misinformed, and genuinely appalling."
Mayor Eric Adams defended Hochul, saying she was "not trying to be disrespectful to the people of the Bronx."
"When you make thousands of speeches, when you're in front of the cameras all the time, when you're trying to be authentic and say the things that you're really feeling, one can sit back and do a critical analysis of every sentence you say," Adams, 63, said during a Q&A with reporters at City Hall. "I know her heart. I know what she was intending to say."
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In a statement on Monday, Hochul admitted she "misspoke" and "regrets 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," Hochul 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."
