“New York’s Wrongful Death Law values people of color less than white people. The Grieving Families Act would change this inequity once and for all.”
TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER, clergy and community leaders gathered at New Life Tabernacle to call Governor Kathy Hochul to do right by Black and brown New Yorkers by signing the Grieving Families Act into law.
The bill, passed with overwhelming, bipartisan support in the State Legislature in June, would update New York’s Civil War-era wrongful death law and bring it in line with the 21st Century. As it stands, killed New Yorkers are valued only by how much money they make while alive. As a result, Black and Brown New Yorkers, who are systemically underpaid, are worth less in the eyes of the law after they have been killed.
The community leaders urged the Governor to sign the Grieving Families Act, allowing judges to consider grief and emotional loss in a wrongful death case, not just income. It would also ensure non-traditional families, such as domestic partners and non-parental guardians, are not disqualified from filing a wrongful death claim.
“New York prides itself on being one of the most progressive states in the nation, yet its Wrongful Death law fails to value Black and Brown lives equally to those of white lives. This antiquated law tells us that our take-home pay equals our value as a person, but we know that isn’t true in a workforce that consistently devalues people of color. People are worth more than their salaries, and we need to amend this law to recognize the true value of these tragic and preventable losses. I urge Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Grieving Families Act into law to prevent further racial inequities.” Assemblywoman Latrice Walker said.
“We have marched and yelled and called on our leaders to ensure Black lives truly matter in this country. And yet, in New York, we have a law on the books from 1847, when millions of Black people were enslaved, that does not place equal value on the life of a Black person who was killed as it does on the life of a white person who was killed. We cannot say we have made
real progress with antiquated and unfair laws still on the books. Governor Hochul must sign the Grieving Families Act into law and do right by the countless Black and Brown families whose loved ones were undervalued. To ignore this injustice any longer would be immoral.” Bishop Eric Ronald Figueroa Sr. said.
“Progress begins when we can confidently say that every person’s life matters equally regardless of skin color or background. It is unacceptable that two people with the same family, killed in the same way, have their lives valued completely differently. Their families both feel the same loss and the same sadness. Why should that grief count for nothing? The Governor must sign this bill into law and do right by the families in our state who have gone overlooked and undervalued for two centuries.” Reginald Bowman, the Senior Member of the Citywide Council of Presidents for NYCHA, said.
“The fact that 47 other states have acknowledged how unfair it is to value a person’s life by their paycheck, while New York remains tethered to an antebellum-era law is despicable. We know that in 1847, Black and Brown’s lives were considered worth less than white lives and that any law passed at that time would be written to echo that same sentiment. We must do what should have been done years ago and ensure that a Black life lost is valued equally under the law. I’m calling on Governor Hochul to do right by us and sign The Grieving Families Act into law now.” 77th Precinct Community Council President Brian Saunders said.
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