Governor David A. Paterson Addresses Annual Meeting of the Anti-Defamation League in New York City

Date: October 30, 2009

Remarks by New York Governor David A. Paterson 
To the Anti-Defamation League's 2009 Annual Meeting

Thank you Bob for the kind introduction, and congratulations on being the next National Chairman of the ADL.

I’d also like to recognize a few of the other ADL leaders here today, beginning with National Director Abe Foxman, current national Chair Glen Lewy, Chairman of the New York Regional Board Jeffrey Parker, and the Director of the New York Region Ron Meier.

I’d like to give a special recognition to former ADL National Chairman and the former Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Mel Salberg, who is being honored today for his lifelong commitment to the values of the Anti-Defamation League.

For ninety-six years the ADL has steadfastly pursued its mission of “securing justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike.” In that time, few organizations have done as much to put out the fires of anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia and xenophobia.

You have led demonstrations in the streets and revolutions in the legislature; you have brought justice to criminals and comfort to victims; and you have put the world on notice that hate and intolerance are intolerable.

I am proud to have a close and productive relationship with the ADL. We have world together to stop hate crimes and support civil rights; to educate our children; to curb extremism and thwart international terrorism.

Assaulting a person because of their religion, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation is among the most despicable and cowardly crimes one can commit. It runs counter not only to the creed of our founders, but to the code of our humanity.

I know that we were all encouraged to see President Obama sight the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law on Wednesday, and I would like to thank the President, Rep. John Conyers, and the late Lion of the Senate, Ted Kennedy, for their unwavering support of this landmark legislation.

Here in New York, I sponsored similar legislation that was enacted almost a decade ago, prohibiting all forms of discrimination and providing a clear sense of the gravity of hate crimes. And with the help of the ADL, we passed it into law.

But still, the problem persists.

In 2008, the New York Department of Criminal Justice Services reported 596 hate crimes, with the majority committed against Jews, African-Americans, homosexual men, and Hispanics. Those crimes included the savage beating deaths of Marcelo Lucero and Jose Sucuzhanay, and the murder of Latiesha Green, a transgender person, who was shot to death.

And in 2009 we witnessed first-hand the ugliness of anti-Semitism, when the FBI stopped a plan to bomb two synagogues in the Bronx.

Shortly after the murder of Jose Sucuzhanay, I formed the New York State Hate Crimes Task Force. After an extensive review, including valuable discussions with ADL, the task force made important recommendations on how we can prevent hate crimes and increase awareness among New Yorkers. We have already begun applying some of these recommendations, and will implement more of them in the months ahead.

But if we are to truly stamp out hate crimes, we must stop the spread of hatred and ignorance among our youth, even if it seems like harmless child’s play. That means providing a nurturing classroom atmosphere, where students can learn as much from the diversity of their classmates as from the pages of their textbooks.

A recent study found that 65 percent of teens reported having been verbally or physically harassed due to their appearance, gender, ethnicity, disability or religion.

This kind of torment breeds anger and resentment in both the perpetrators and the victims, and feeds a cycle of violence that too often ends in tragedy.

That’s why we need great programs like ADL’s A World of Difference. We need to bring anti-bias education to kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools, and board rooms across the country and around the world.

And that’s why I was proud to see the State Assembly pass the Dignity for All Students Act last April, with only five members in opposition.

This legislation directs school districts to establish policies for preventing discrimination and harassment, and when it finally passes the senate I will be proud to sign it into law.

Just as I will be proud to one day soon sign the marriage equality bill into law, putting an end to one of the most insidious forms of discrimination in our State.

The time for action on these critical bills in now. Hate cannot wait, especially during an economic downturn as severe as this one, when everyone is looking for a scapegoat.

But despite the tough times, we will never waver in our commitment to the principles of justice, tolerance and equality.

These are the ideals that have united the ADL and New York State for nearly a century.

And one day, perhaps a century from now, future generations will note with wonder and appreciation that we did what was hard, and we did what was right, and we left them a safer, more tolerant world. A world where there is truly and finally liberty and justice for all.