Governor Cuomo Delivers Remarks at National Women's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Thank you. Thank you very much. First, to Betty Bayer and Eileen Hartmann, let's give them a great round of applause for organizing this fantastic event. To all our inductees, what an impressive group. Aren't they? Let's give them a round of applause. There are a lot of distinguished people in the room. We have Gloria Steinem, who has been such a pioneer in this movement. Let's give her a round of applause and thank her for all that she's done. Humble, too. What a really impressive group of inductees. When you look at the breadth of accomplishment that they have, it really is extraordinary.

It's my honor to be here and to be a part of this ceremony. It's especially an honor to be a part of the ceremony when one the inductees is my mother. So, I'm wearing two hats: the governor hat, and the son hat. But primarily, the son hat. Matilda Raffa Cuomo has five children. My sister Madeline, who is a lawyer and a mother, my sister Maria, who is a film anchor, a not-for-profit who helps the homeless and is a mother, my sister Margaret who is the oldest, although she doesn't like to admit it and she doesn't like when I say it but I said it. So, it's a little late. But you are either the oldest chronologically or you are not, it's a matter of math, so yeah. I now look older than she is, but it wasn't always that way. It's this job that did it. I looked 22 before I became governor. But Margaret is a doctor.

Did you hear the story about the mother who had a daughter who was a doctor? A mother has two children, a daughter and a son, and the daughter becomes a doctor. The mother is so proud of the daughter who became the doctor because a doctor is a position of respect. The son is in politics and she doesn't have respect for politics and she tries to be nice about it, but she winds up communicating it and the son always tries harder and harder and harder because he wants to get that accolade that the daughter who is a doctor has, he runs for office and moves to another office in Queens and wins until he's a senator and then he runs for president of the United States. And anyways he calls up his mom and says "Mom, I want you to come down to Washington to see your son, the President of the United States." The mom says okay, goes down to Washington for the swearing in. She's in the front row. The President-elect walks onto the stage. He's about to be sworn in, and the mother turns to the person next to her and says, see that boy on the stage, that's my son. He's very nice. You know, his sister's a doctor.

But we are not a competitive family. No, no, not a competitive family. We are just easy going. My brother Christopher is not here today. He's the only member of the family who's not here. He said he had to work out on Saturday, is what he said. I didn't think it was a good excuse. I said, mom, now you know who loves you more, and it's not Chris. I'm my mother's favorite. She told me that I'm her favorite. She told me not to tell the others but I think they should know anyway just as a matter of honesty. So I am my mother's favorite.

My mother did it all. She raised five kids. She raised five kids basically on her own. My father was always busy doing what he was passionate about. She did it with no help. These were five kids, besides me they all brought their own difficulties. And she was a phenomenal mother. She was also, as a professional, outstanding. She worked with the UN Council on Children. She ran the New York State Commission on Children. And in 1984 she found her passion, which was mentoring. Which was providing the support services for young people who really didn't have that base of support. And using mentoring as a vehicle to do it. She started the program in New York State, it is still her passion. She does it still. Over 10,000 children have been mentored by the program that she's run.

To give you a sense of the person she is, we spent last weekend together. I was alone because my kids are now grown and gone, so I said mom why don't you come over for the weekend? And we just hung around for the weekend, and I said look these are your golden years. What do you want to do? You want to get a new apartment? You want to travel? You want to get a summer house? She said no, no, no, I have much too much work to do with mentoring. There are too many children who need help for me to do anything else. And that's at the stage of life that she's in now.

It has been a family mission of the Cuomos to be champions of women's rights. We have fourteen grandchildren in my mother's family. 13 of the 14 are girls. That is statistically impossible so I believe that was God's way of saying, "I really want you to focus on women's issues, and in case you forget, I'm going to send you 13 out of 14." And we have been from the get go. My father was a great champion and a pioneer of women's rights. I have followed the same course.

I'm proud, as you heard from Betty, of the record that we've established. We've done more for women's rights in this state than in any state in the United States of America. And I'm very proud of that. So many issues that had to be done for years that hadn't been done. The most aggressive state in protecting victims of domestic violence. We have the best paid family leave program in the United States. We have the highest goal for minority and women-owned businesses in state contracts. We have the best breast cancer protection program in the United States, where there is now no co-pay or deductible for any breast exam and we have offices open after 5:00 on weekends so there can be no excuses. And we passed the best sexual assault on campus. That has been going on for decades and schools were more concerned with their reputation than the rights of the woman who was abused and that stops and that stops now. And in terms of breaking the glass ceiling and leadership and women in positions of leadership which I think is the next frontier. My father appointed the first female to our state's highest court, the Court of Appeals. I appointed the second. We now have Janet DiFiore who's the chief judge of the Court of Appeals. We have a female chancellor of the State University System and I just appointed the first Secretary to the Governor in history who's a woman, Melissa DeRosa, who's here today with us.

Last point, I just want to say this. This is an important time because from Washington there are real challenges to women's rights and the role of women in society. I tried to pass two years ago in New York a constitutional amendment to protect Roe v. Wade in the state constitution where we have a Roe v. Wade protection in the state constitution. And I failed because the legislature said, "It's inconceivable that anyone would go to roll back Roe v. Wade." That was two years ago. It was inconceivable. And it's the reality. And they are trying to do it and it's wrong and if Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were here today, they would say, "Ladies, it is the time to stand up and organize and mobilize and make your voice heard."

To my mother, I say this. There's an Italian expression that says there are two things in life that will never leave you. The eye of God and the love of a mother. And it is so true. And on behalf of all the kids, Mom, we are proud of everything that you have accomplished. We're inspired by what you do for other people. We're grateful for what you have done for us. But we love you for who you are. Congratulations.

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