Gov. Cuomo: 'Let's Build A Memorial To Mother Cabrini'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledged his support for a memorial to Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini after the saint wasn't chosen to be honored with a new statue.
He discussed the idea in his remarks at the Columbus Citizens Foundation Gala on Saturday night.
A recent city program to commission statues honoring influential women asked for public input, and Mother Cabrini received the most votes with 219 nominations. The committee, however, ultimately passed her over in a decision that angered the Italian-American community.
RELATED STORY: Italian-Americans Miffed After Leading Vote Getter Mother Cabrini Doesn't Make Cut For New City Statue
A march in support of a Mother Cabrini statue drew 1,000 people on Oct. 6, and the Diocese of Brooklyn says it has raised $17,000 to build their own statue honoring the saint.
"We should applaud their courage and their activism," Cuomo said Saturday. "But my friends, we should even do more. We should support them. Let's join with them tonight. Let's stand up and demand respect for our community. Let's lead the way by taking action and let's build a memorial to Mother Cabrini - and I pledge my full support tonight."
Among the six women chosen for the new statues were jazz great Billie Holiday, desegregation activist and Latina doctor Helen Rodriguez Trias and LGBTQ advocate Sylvia Rivera.
