Brewer questions Diaz on CUNY fatherhood programs and changing fatherhood narratives

Thank you very much, Assemblymember.

CUNY, City University of New York.

Are you working with them?

Because they had a horrible situation with the feds cutting some of their funding for this issue, and I don't know where they're at.

So I was wondering if you also work with some of the fathers there.

I will.

We had conversations trying to put back funding for CUNY.

Obviously, SUNY and CUNY took tremendous hits, and we did our best in this current state budget.

You know, we did get our budget done, unlike the

council yet, but that's true.

You guys fast years on time, unlike us.

But I will have those conversations because I think in our education, in our education facilities, I think putting this as a part of it is key.

And also making sure that single fathers or single mothers or single parents in general have also child care opportunities at those places so they can further their education and their jobs.

But I also think there's something, you know, I think there's something amazing if the same schools, even starting in high school and bringing back home ec to a small degree on how to change a diaper, how to swaddle, how to prepare a bottle.

I think all those things are life lessons that we all need to learn, regardless if you plan to have a family or not, because you might be an uncle or aunt, a godmother, a godfather, or a godparent.

And I think all those skills help us as a village to come together.

So I will work with City College and the CUNY system, and thank you for bringing that to my attention.

And the Times did have an article the other day about how much more fathers are involved than they were when I was growing up.

Yes, I think you're on.

Obviously, you just need to make sure that people have the support.

Yes, and further to that knowledge, one thing that I want to also make sure that we make public knowledge is that not only that they have actually shown that black and brown fathers are actually one of the most proactive in changing the public perception of the absent black and brown father.

And we actually know through the periodical data that it's actually not true.

And we need to make sure that we echo that from coast to coast, from city to the...

to the farms because we need to let people know that farmers are very active in 2026 and we need to continue that process.

Thank you very much, Assemblymember.

Thank you, Councilwoman Brewer.

Thank you.

I don't have any more questions for this panel, so thank you for joining us, Ms.

Sussman.

Thank you, Chairwoman.

Thank you, Councilman Brewer.

Thank you, Councilman Felder.

I'll be calling the next panel, Christy Mansell, David Garcia, Pedro Pez, Kate Connolly, Annie Nelson.