ALBANY – New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued his Thanksgiving Day statement, calling on New Yorkers to be grateful for what they have and to spread that love and cheer to those less fortunate in their communities.
“Thanksgiving is a holiday with a simple message: to give thanks for what we’ve received, bring together the love in our family and our community and spread that love as far as we can and as wide as we can,” Cuomo said. “While in our state we have much to be thankful for, Thanksgiving is also an important opportunity to remember people who are not as fortunate and give back to those in need.”
He called for unity and said New Yorkers should not let the tensions and political disagreements divide the state.
“In our country today we are facing anger and animosity and an unacceptable rise in racism, hatred and bigotry. We are all New Yorkers, and we must not allow tensions to divide us,” he said. “We are a collection of different races, creeds, sexual orientations and identities. That’s what makes us who we are. We have to be at peace with those differences and acknowledge them as our essence and our strength. Our moral obligation is to live together and to find peace, to find harmony and to try to help one another.”
“My wish for all New Yorkers this Thanksgiving is to remember our commonalities and that the most powerful four letter word is still ‘love.’ From my family to the New York family and beyond, happy Thanksgiving.”