State of New York, not state of fear

In the wake of recent incidents of racial bias on college campuses, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledged to protect all victims of discrimination and to prosecute hate crime, according to his open letter to students. 

“This is the State of New York, not a state of fear. We will not tolerate hate or racism,” Gov. Cuomo said in his letter, which was sent last week to students in the CUNY and SUNY systems and at private colleges around the state. 

“New Yorkers feel a particular affection for young immigrants,” he added. “For centuries, our state has thrived on the energy and ambition of the young people seeking to build their lives here. Your intelligence, your creativity, your idealism enriches us all. You are welcome here.”

Gov. Cuomo denounced the “harsh and ugly rhetoric” of the recent presidential campaign and sought to assuage concerns, saying New York values diversity and respects all people, whether they are “gay or straight, Muslim or Christian or Jewish or Buddhist, rich or poor, black or white or Latino or Asian, man or woman, cisgender or transgender.” 

The governor urged New Yorkers who have experienced bias or discrimination to call the state’s Division of Human Rights at a toll-free hotline: 888-392-3644 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those who want to report a crime or fear for their safety should call 911 immediately, he added.