Hochul looks ahead to future at event honoring Queens women
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Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul addressed attendees during a Queens Women’s History Month event Thursday.
Photo by Department of Environmental Conservation/Flickr
By Rachel Vick
With Gov. Andrew Cuomo mired in a sexual misconduct scandal, the next in line to lead the state looked ahead to the future at an event in Queens Thursday.
Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul said it was time for women to seize positions of power, as she honored the contributions of women in law, politics and business during a virtual event hosted by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
“What will they say about the women of our time? What is the legacy that we will leave for our daughters and granddaughters?” Hochul said. “We have to make up for the lost time.”
Hochul’s speech to attendees, including Bronx DA Darcel Clark and Queens business and nonprofit heads, comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment that threaten his political future. Cuomo is also under fire for concealing the number of COVID deaths in New York nursing homes
New York Attorney General Letitia James has commissioned an independent investigation into the harassment and misconduct charges after previously uncovering the nursing home death suppression. The state Assembly has also opened an impeachment investigation.
Katz organized the event to honor Women’s History Month and the celebration featured a reading from 2021 NYC Youth Poet Laureate Serena Yang and a keynote speech from U.S. Rep. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands.
“This month provides a special opportunity to recognize some amazing and transformative women in our community,” Katz said. “We will celebrate a group of extraordinary women who are showing every day that when women lead they change our world by changing what we think is possible.”
Honorees included Dr. Maria L. Hubbard, overseer of Agape Faith Ministries; Carolyn Dixon, CEO and founder of Where Do We Go From Here Inc.; Sandi Pope, who leads youth outreach group CISTA GIRLS, and publisher Victoria Schneps.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz celebrated the achievements of a group of Queens women leading the way in communities across the borough.Screenshot via zoom
“I believe we are [a place] where women will finally receive their due respect,” Hubbard said. “Our voice and our talents are the missing link in bringing humanity to a better place of love and peace. I want you to know and believe you are important for the next shift in society. Let's uplift, build and network together to break systemic barriers.”
Plaskett noted the importance of elevating women to positions of power.
“Women who have the ability to be empathetic, strategic, thoughtful multitaskers, to see through the BS and be fierce at the same time, that is tremendously important to our communities,” Plaskett said. “I wonder if being a woman gives us an additional ability to multitask under fire and get things done.”
“We would not be where we are if we were not better than the men that we have to work with on a daily basis, isn’t that right ladies?” she added.
“It comes naturally,” Pope chimed in.
