Transcript: Governor Cuomo Delivers Easter Sunday Remarks at Antioch Baptist Church in Brooklyn
On Easter Sunday, Governor Cuomo proudly received the key endorsement of 20 prominent Black and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) clergy members in the city, each representing culturally rich and spiritually devoted congregations
This nation needs renewal. There's too much anger out there, too much volatility out there, too much us versus them instead of we, too much confrontation rather than reconciliation. Divisions that I have never seen before, divisions by race, divisions by income, divisions by geography, we are supposed to be the United States of America, and there are people who are trying to put wedges all through society trying to divide us. Only way you can defeat this nation is by dividing this nation, and that's what people are trying to do, and we have to stand up and speak against it.
- Andrew Cuomo
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, candidate for Mayor of New York City, today delivered remarks at Antioch Baptist Church in Brooklyn. He was joined by Reverend Dr. Robert M. Waterman and Assemblymember Latrice Walker. Cuomo spoke about the resilience of New Yorkers, the need for unity in the nation in the face of division, and the power of renewal. This is Governor Cuomo’s second stop of the morning, where he first delivered remarks at Calvary Baptist Church in Jamaica Queens, accompanied by Pastor Reverend Victor Hall and Reverend Marion Phillips III.
Earlier this morning, Governor Cuomo proudly received the key endorsement of 20 prominent Black and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) clergy members in the city, each representing culturally rich and spiritually devoted congregations.
A transcript of his remarks appears below:
Wow. Wow, wow. Good morning, Antioch. Happy Resurrection Sunday. It is my honor to be here. First, Sister Latrice Walker, there are many, many legislators that I've worked with for a long time, but there is only one Latrice Walker. I'll tell you the truth, when I was Governor, I was afraid of her. She is a dynamo and there are a lot of politicians who go up and say what they have to say and go through the motions. Latrice Walker is there to get a job done and she's going to fight for you until she gets it done, and Latrice wins. Latrice Walker. Give her a round of applause. She's one special one.
Reverend Dr. Waterman, thank you so much for what you do, not just for this church, what you do for the entire community, what you're doing for healthcare, what you're doing for the entire African-American community. God bless you. Let's give the Reverend Doctor a round of applause. First Lady, thank you very much. Thank you for having us here today. I want to thank Dee Bailey. I want to thank a great District Attorney who does justice and he does it fairly, Eric Gonzalez. Darryl Towns and I had the pleasure of working together. He was an assemblyman, he was a commissioner, he's the chairman. I don't think there are any titles left for Darryl Towns. Give him a round of applause. Karen Boykin-Towns pleasure to be with you, District Leader Henry Butler. Thank you all very, very much for having me here today. It is a special day and it's a special day with special meaning — we can rise again.
It is that simple. Luke 24:6 says, He is not here. He is risen. And that is the proclamation that says we can rise again. We can rise again individually and collectively. I know we can rise again individually because listening to the Reverend Doctor talk about the stone - we all have stones in our lives. I had a very heavy stone and I had a stone that caused great pain and great hardship and great suffering, and I didn't think I could get past it, and some days I just wanted to give up. I just wanted to give up. But the good Lord and my faith saw me through. And Doctor, you are so right, with God's help, we can do anything and we can be renewed, and that renewal is not just individual, but I believe it is also for us as a collective, as a society and as the Reverend Doctor was talking about issues we have.
We have issues. We have issues in this city. Let's be honest. There's work to do. This New York City is not what it was 10 years ago. There's a lot of work that we're going to have to do collectively. We're going to have to make this city safe once again, there's too much violence out there. There are too many random assaults out there. We have to make the city affordable. You just can't pay the rent anymore. You can't find housing that's affordable. So there is work for us to do, no doubt. But also there is no doubt that we can do it because that's who we are. We are New Yorkers and you knock us down. We get up and we're smarter and stronger for the experience. And we've been knocked down before. Remember after 9/11, they said, “Oh, how is New York ever going to overcome?”
We overcame and we got stronger and Hurricane Sandy and Superstorm Irene— terrorist attacks. But we keep getting up. We keep getting up because we work together. We come together and we make this place a better place. What we went through with COVID, we were on our own worst infection rate in the United States of America on the globe actually. And we were on our own. And it was literally a matter of life and death. And we came together as a people and we did what they said couldn't be done. That's who we are. We're New Yorkers and we're going to do it again.
And it's also true for this nation. This nation needs renewal. There's too much anger out there, too much volatility out there, too much us versus them instead of we, too much confrontation rather than reconciliation. Divisions that I have never seen before, divisions by race, divisions by income, divisions by geography, we are supposed to be the United States of America, and there are people who are trying to put wedges all through society trying to divide us. Only way you can defeat this nation is by dividing this nation, and that's what people are trying to do, and we have to stand up and speak against it. That resurrection was a divine act, but then it sparked a movement of people who followed that message, and we have to follow that message in bringing this country back together again. We have to rise up and do it and do it as New Yorkers because there has to be an alternative voice to what is now going on.
Peter tells us that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Let me read that again. Peter tells us that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. I don't know what foolish man Peter was referring to. I don't know but I don't want to speculate. But I know if Peter was here today, Peter would know who the foolish man was that he was pointing to. And we have to stand up and speak against that foolish man and talk about our commonality and talk about our love and our community and our society and how we believe the best feast has the most number of people at the table. And until this nation serves everyone, it has served no one. And these separations do not work. And it's not our vision of America, and it's not what we're going to allow to happen. So, this Resurrection Sunday, I pray for our individual resurrection. I pray for our collective resurrection and the resurrection of this city and this country, which we will accomplish together.
God bless you, and thank you for having me.
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Watch the Full Remarks of Governor Cuomo's Speech Here
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