Remarks Delivered at Three Kings Day Celebration

Governor Kathy Hochul today delivered remarks at the 48th annual Three Kings Day celebration held by El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem.

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 page will post photos of the event here.

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

Buenos días a todos.  Feliz día de los Reyes. Okay. Close enough. That's all you're going to get from me today. I am so proud to be here, and I know we're told to brief, but I want to tell you one story. I now have a three-year-old granddaughter, and she came to visit me at the Governor's residence, and I have a very large crèche — the Nativity scene. And I don't think she'd seen anything that's almost life size — Baby Jesus was almost as big as she was. But she asked me why these people, the kings, brought gifts because it showed them bringing — was it frankincense and myrrh? Yeah. You got it all. Okay. And I said, “Because Jesus gave us a gift. Jesus gave us His only son.”

But it also reminds us of the gifts we have every single day. The gifts of community, the gifts of places like El Museo del Barrio. Places where we have people that are so focused on continuing the traditions and the culture of the countries where they, and their parents and grandparents, came from. So that is a gift to me as the Governor of New York because it allows me to celebrate on days like this. What makes us so fascinating as New Yorkers — it is our diversity, it is our acceptance and welcoming of so many people from all around the world.

And I'll say this, I had the most incredible trip to the Dominican Republic with Adriano Espaillat. He is a rock star, not just here, but there as well. If you want crowds together around you when you travel, walk down a street with this man. But it was incredible to see. We had just come from Puerto Rico, and those two visits over a couple of days showed me the warmth.

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It showed me the warmth of a people that I see where it came from here in my own communities in New York, and that touched my heart. And I want to thank you for celebrating today's parade and keeping this tradition alive and making sure our children know about this so they will pass this on to their children.

Just as Adriano was talking about the traditions that he remembers — don't give that up, especially during these tough, tough days when we feel like we are under attack, that so many in our communities are afraid to go to church on a Sunday, afraid to go to schools, afraid to go to their court appearance because they may not go home again.

My friends, this is when we stand united as a community — stronger than ever before — because this is a community that matters, that has earned its right here as a New Yorker, as part of our family. So we'll continue to stand up and be your voice and the voice of your friends and family because that's who we are.

So let's take this moment to celebrate the great gifts we have in each other, this beautiful day, but also send forth with that same commitment to stand together through the good times and the bad. And that's what I commit to do as your Governor of the great State of New York. Thank you very much, everyone. Muchas gracias.