Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at National Urban League Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul joined Empire State Development (ESD) President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight, community leaders, and development partners to celebrate the grand opening of the National Urban League's new headquarters at the Urban League Empowerment Center in Harlem. The opening marks a historic homecoming for one of the nation's most prominent civil rights organizations, returning to its roots in Harlem where it was founded in 1910, and represents the culmination of a transformative public-private partnership led by ESD and the City of New York to deliver new opportunities, affordable housing, and community investment along the 125th Street corridor.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Good morning. Alright, you awake out there? I feel like saying this is the day the Lord has made. Does that wake you up a little more? Okay. I'm feeling a church feeling here today. Anybody else feeling a church feeling? Maybe not with the nice hats, but I feel like I'm back in church. So it is great to be here. Marc Morial, we are blessed to have you, but I've been in this political business a long time. I'm feeling like there's somebody's position for some other job. I'm just saying, it seems like he does have politics in his blood and our nation is looking for bold leaders who will not take no for an answer.

So, I want to thank Marc and I also always admire a man or woman who gives credit to the spouse and the family. Okay? Because these are the rocks that allow us to do what we do. Michelle, thank you and your family. And Tim Murphy, we've met many times over the years in support of this project. Thank you for driving this home and being the leader that this community needed - just to see the possibilities to execute the dreams that others may have had, but you are part of its great success.

Let's get another round of applause to our Chairman, Tim Murphy, David Solomon and the many other partners who helped with the finances. I help with the finances too. The State of New York let me see, let me look up my numbers here - $250 million project, we are in for about half. Okay, well between the housing tax credits - and one day I got a call from Marc after I was here at this really nice topping off ceremony - saw Tim, saw Marc and I get a phone call like, "Hey, you saw where we're going? Can you help us with maybe another $10 million more just to get there?" See, I'm looking in my pockets. I'm going to tell you this. You had me at "Hello."

This was a project that is so worthwhile, so meaningful, and is a symbol at this moment in time when people are feeling just sort of depressed about life. Life has been so hard for our people and just look at what we've had to endure over the last few weeks. I had to put in $100 million more into food banks in communities like Harlem because the federal government that's supposed to use our federal tax dollars to feed people walked away from that responsibility for the first time in history.

And I know it's not a political event. That's not a political statement, it's a truth. So we gather here today at a place where we know people are suffering and anxious about putting food on the table. So this is a symbol that we pull together, and there is an organization like the Urban League behind us. There is no stopping us. We'll not be daunted by those challenges from another city far away because this is Harlem. This is New York, this is New York State, and we're stronger than all of that. So never forget that. Never forget what brought us here.

And I'll tell you what, I have a beautiful speech that was written by my staff. I have to just speak from the heart. I want to tell you this. The fact that we're building housing for people - 177 units - this is something my partners and I in government so believe in. I want to recognize Senator Gillibrand, who's here today, and Chuck Schumer. Let's give them a round of applause.

Our new Mayor, Zohran Mamdani - he talks about housing. He believes in this. Yusef Salaam - all of us believe we need to build more housing. And we'll get it done. But to know that this project is underway right now with 177 units - do you know what that means to people? That there's going to be families that never knew that they could have the dignity of a beautiful home, a sense of community.

As Governor, one of the most joyful things I do is to give someone the keys to a home that they never dreamed of. A homeless person in Buffalo just a couple weeks ago, a mom of four - she cried in my arms and said, "I never thought this was possible." That's how we unlock people's dreams and know they have value because sometimes people feel so overlooked and forgotten.

This organization, the leadership of Marc Morial will never let that happen. So yes, this may be a physical symbol - it is a building, yes, indeed - but also captures a spirit of a community that for far too long had been oppressed, but now has the opportunity to rise up and say, "We matter." Our people matter, and the future for us also matters. We can do this together, can we not, my friends? And that's what's unleashed here today.

I also had a little conversation about history with Marc. Now he wants to focus on the cities. And I said, "Well, there's places around the rest of the state that also are part of the great history." The Underground Railroad went all the way to Upstate New York. Do you guys know where Upstate is? I'm just here to remind you. Just here to remind you. That is such a huge point of pride for us all the way from Rochester. And guess whose needs he's recognizing this museum? Frederick Douglass, the one and only Frederick Douglas, whose face is on the walls in the Rochester Airport. We make sure that people know that history. He was the conscience of America, only to be replaced by Reverend Al Sharpton, who's the conscience of America today. Harriet Tubman, Upstate New York, 50 years, but she was pretty busy down in Maryland bringing back the slaves as a tiny young woman who had a heart of gold, the heart of a lion. I want those stories told too. Okay, let's make sure we tell the whole New York story. So everybody from all over New York feels that their story is being told here as well. We're going to get that done, we're going to get that done.

Also, we drove past Sylvia's to come here. No, I didn't stop for biscuits again. I wasn't late because of that. Everybody who knows me, that's what I always have to do. But you know who I also miss when we're here in Harlem. Two people used to meet me there. Charlie Rangel and Hazel Dukes. We are diminished with their loss. They inspired me. They challenged me. We are great friends and we are at a loss for them today.

But this place - and Marc described all the beautiful places - the vision that went behind this, to think that people can live here and work here and learn history here and celebrate their traditions here, and to be a gathering place for a community and businesses and restaurants and stores. Trader Joe's coming. Is that true? Wait, it's here. Here is Trader Joe's. Okay, I got some shopping to do. My husband says there's been no food in my refrigerator for a long time. But, that says this community matters as much as the other communities around the city and the state that have a Trader Joe's. You know what I'm saying here?

The people here matter, and that's the kind of businesses I want to attract here. Okay? There is no diminishment because this is a community that people for too long overlooked. We have risen up. We have met this moment, and I'm so proud to be the Governor at this time in history. Well, we'll deal with the challenges from Washington. Because I look around this room and I feel the strength and support of every one of you as we march shoulder to shoulder - soldiers in the battle to take back our cities and let them know that our cities from New York down to New Orleans truly matter. The National Urban League will make sure that it happens from now and into the next 50 to 100 years.

But never forget the history of Harlem is so, so instrumental in giving people. Something that was coined as "Black Pride" at a time when people were not feeling the pride and that is what broke loose and the rest of America paid attention to this community at that moment in time and we'll never forget it.

Thank you very much for being here today, everybody. Reverend Al, I'm looking forward to your remarks as well. Everybody, thank you so much. Thank you, Harlem. Thank you New York. And Marc, thanks for bringing us home.

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