Senate Resolution No. 2279

BY: Senator HINCHEY

COMMEMORATING the 10th Anniversary of the We Dream
in Black initiative of the National Domestic Workers
Alliance

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend organizations whose steadfast commitment to service,
empowerment, and community advancement contributes to the strength and
vitality of our society; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the We Dream in Black initiative of
the National Domestic Workers Alliance; and

WHEREAS, We Dream in Black is a vital initiative serving as an
organizing home that centers the voices of Black, Afro-Latina, and
Afro-descendant domestic workers; and

WHEREAS, The members of the We Dream in Black - New York Chapter
stand in a proud and centuries-long tradition of resistance, beginning
with the 1881 Black washerwomen of the South whose strikes set the
precedent for labor actions across the United States; and

WHEREAS, We Dream in Black was specifically created to address the
historical underrepresentation of Black domestic workers in the labor
movement and to provide a safe space for workers to discuss their lived
experiences and build collective power; and

WHEREAS, We Dream in Black continues the legacy of Dorothy Bolden,
founder of the National Domestic Workers Union of America which, under
her leadership, represented 30,000 workers and served as a trusted
advisor to three Presidents of the United States on matters of social
welfare and labor; and

WHEREAS, The We Dream in Black - New York Chapter has been a
vanguard for change, instrumental in winning landmark protections,
including the incorporation of domestic workers in the State's Paid Safe
and Sick Leave and Paid Family Leave laws; and

WHEREAS, Since 2016, this organization has successfully recovered
over $500,000 in stolen wages for domestic workers through dedicated
legal clinics, ensuring that dignity in the workplace is backed by
economic justice; and

WHEREAS, The year 2026 marks a significant decennial milestone in
the Alliance's history of organizing for the rights of workers,
leadership development, and recognition of domestic work as the labor
that makes all other work possible; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 10th Anniversary of We Dream in Black and commend its
exemplary service to the communities and workforce of the great State of
New York and across the United States; and be it further


RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the National Domestic Workers Alliance and We Dream in
Black initiative.