NY Governor Andrew Cuomo Uses Racial Slur in Radio Interview

Written by Jasmine

Andrew Cuomo, current Governor of New York state since 2011, finds himself in hot water after using a racial slur during a live radio interview. While discussing the historical mistreatment of Italian- American immigrants, he quoted a NY Times op-ed piece in which a racial slur was used. Tune in to the video below to find out what he said.

Now, some African-American state leaders believe he was wrong for using that term in his interview. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams denounced Cuomo’s comment saying, “The flippant and unnecessary use of the word on live radio gives people further permission to use this racist term.”

Former Black Panther, Assemblyman Charles Barron, shared the same sentiments. He found the comment to be “very inappropriate… disrespectful… [he] owes the black community an apology.”

However, there are some who back the Governor’s remarks. State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie admitted that he wasn’t offended by the comment because “the Governor was quoting a New York Times story and was using it for context.”

Even State Sen. Kevin Parker believed the comment was not inappropriate because of the context provided, he believes “people are overreacting.”

Personally, I can see both sides of this argument. No, the term is not ideally something you’d say in an interview, and it does further give others the idea that it is okay to use it. However, I also know that these were not Cuomo’s words. I mean, he was quoting someone else. Should we go as far as to be angry with the author of the article too? Where does it stop?

What do you think about Cuomo’s comments?