![\"20260217_190504\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260217_190504.jpg\")
\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul and news host Errol Louis engaged in a fireside chat in honor of Black History Month at Metropolitan College of New York on Feb. 17, 2026. <\/p>\n
Photo by Emily Swanson <\/p>\n
To commemorate Black History Month, Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Metropolitan College of New York in the South Bronx for a wide-ranging conversation on the state\u2019s efforts to further justice, equity and quality of life for communities of color.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Feb. 17 event was hosted by the New York chapter of 100 Black Men Inc. <\/a>and Le Roi Capital and moderated by famed anchor Errol Louis of Spectrum News, who questioned Hochul about standing up to the Trump administration, her choice of Adrienne Adams as running mate, creating a more affordable city, how to preserve the city\u2019s Black population, among other issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though the fellowship was warm between the many attendees, the occasion was heavy \u2014 not only because of the challenges facing New Yorkers today but also because of the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson<\/a>, which was announced that day.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the event, Robert B. Brown, president of 100 Black Men Inc. of New York, called Jackson \u201cone of our soldiers\u201d and led the group in a chant of \u201cRun, Jesse, Run,\u201d a phrase made famous during Jackson\u2019s two presidential campaigns in the 1980s.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr. Charles Gibbs, president of the college, remarked on the disparity between the warmth of the gathering and the harsh reality just outside the doors.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we\u2019re here and enjoying this moment, there\u2019s 200 Black men across the street incarcerated at Horizon Juvenile Center,\u201d he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Gibbs said that while the neighborhood can be rough, \u201cyou keep your head on a swivel\u201d \u2014 he remained dedicated to continuing the college\u2019s mission of education and inclusivity in the Bronx. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to stay. This is where we are,\u201d he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Affordability and opportunity\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul highlighted her working-class roots in Buffalo that she said inspired her public service and fight for equity. Her parents and grandparents were Irish migrant farm workers, domestic servants and steel workers and her parents lived in a trailer park. She also said she lost a nephew to a drug overdose after he cycled in and out of incarceration and homeless shelters.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul said these experiences drive her fight for dignified housing, including ownership opportunities, good-paying jobs, affordable childcare and even infrastructure projects like the Gateway Tunnel<\/a> rail project, constructed by union laborers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Louis and Hochul began by discussing the city\u2019s declining Black population. Though the phenomenon is not unique to New York City, 200,000 residents over the last two decades have left, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The issue comes down to affordability and opportunity, Hochul said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cToo many people feel they\u2019re trapped in their circumstances, and they just throw caution to the wind and say, \u2018I\u2019m getting out of here. I can\u2019t make this work.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Childcare, which can cost up to $40,000 per child annually, is a major component of the issue, Hochul said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n She said that she had to leave the workforce when she first had a child, due to a lack of affordable childcare options \u2014 and today, her daughter and grandchild face the same challenge. \u201cIn a whole generation, nothing changed.\u201d<\/p>\n The conversation turned several times to challenges New York residents are facing under the Trump administration, including projected cuts healthcare and SNAP, loss of federal infrastructure funding, immigration enforcement, among others.\u00a0<\/p>\n Louis specifically asked Hochul to address the security of the 2026 elections and concerns that polling places could be raided by ICE agents, creating a chilling effect among citizens and noncitizens alike.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul said local leaders and elections workers have been \u201claser-focused\u201d on preparations to safeguard the upcoming elections, which have potential to tip the balance in Congress back in Democrats\u2019 favor.<\/p>\n \u201cEven people who have supported [Republicans] know that they\u2019ve gone too far, particularly when it comes to the ICE enforcement,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cThis could have a really suppressive effect on our elections, and I think they want that to happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But given the horrors endured by Black leaders to win the right to vote, letting the Trump administration keep people away from the polls was not an option, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe people in this room know the story of the ancestors and those who came before in the civil rights movement and shed blood to secure the right to vote,\u201d Hochul said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe sure as hell in New York aren\u2019t gonna let that evaporate. We\u2019re gonna fight hard.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260217_183019.jpg\")
Members of 100 Black Men, Inc. and other community members listened to Hochul speak about affordability, the Trump administration, running for re-election with Adrienne Adams and more. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n