Senate Resolution No. 2539

BY: Senator MANNION

COMMENDING Willie Mae Goodman for 50 years of
service as a Champion for individuals with
developmental disabilities

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to
recognize and acknowledge those within our midst who have made
significant contributions to the quality of life therein; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Willie Mae
Goodman for 50 years of service as a Champion for individuals with
developmental disabilities to be recognized at a party held in her honor
on Wednesday, May 11, 2022; and

WHEREAS, During this auspicious occasion, Willie Mae Goodman,
affectionately known as Goody to many, will also celebrate her 91st
Birthday; and

WHEREAS, In 1955, Willie Mae Goodman gave birth to her daughter
Margaret, who was diagnosed as profoundly retarded and multiply
handicapped; even though the doctors believed Margaret would not live a
long life, Willie Mae chose to dedicate her life to her daughter's
well-being, proclaiming, "from this day forward my life is hers and her
life is mine"; and

WHEREAS, At the age of four, Margaret Goodman was placed in
Willowbrook State School, Building 14; in 1961, the Department of Mental
Hygiene began to quietly transfer approximately 200 severe and
profoundly disabled children, including Margaret, from the wards at
Willowbrook and place them in a building abandoned by New York City in
1960, on the lower East Side of Manhattan formally known as the
Gouverneur Hospital; and

WHEREAS, Willie Mae Goodman realized these children needed an
advocate to ensure their survival, and she enthusiastically took on the
role; in 1970, faced with the threat that the Gouverneur residents would
be returned to Willowbrook State School, she became the voice of the
newly formed Gouverneur Parents Association (GPA); and

WHEREAS, The GPA became the first group of parents to take the
Department of Mental Hygiene to court, and through a court injunction,
successfully blocked the transfer of their loved ones back to
Willowbrook State School; and

WHEREAS, In 1975, Willie Mae Goodman successfully obtained legal
affirmation that the Gouverneur residents were members of the
Willowbrook class, and as such, entitled to the same benefits and
protections available to all class members; and

WHEREAS, Since then, Willie Mae Goodman has continued to fight for
"her kids" from Gouverneur; due to her steadfast and unremitting
commitment, many of the residents have lived well beyond what most
expected and have experienced the benefits of placement in

community-based homes, including her beloved daughter who has been a
resident of the 119th Street Residence since 1991; and

WHEREAS, A true visionary, Willie Mae Goodman has worked tirelessly
to address society's ignorance on the needs of the developmentally
disabled and helped tear down any barriers which have denied these
individuals community integration opportunities; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, Willie Mae Goodman assisted her Community Board in
establishing a Committee on Health and Mental Retardation, and a year
later, in an effort to promote community awareness, she organized and
held the first of many multicultural parades through the streets of East
Harlem; and

WHEREAS, For the last 30 years, Willie Mae Goodman has hosted a
workshop about current issues affecting those with developmental
disabilities at the Annual New York State Association of Black, Puerto
Rican and Asian Legislators Conference; and

WHEREAS, For five decades, Willie Mae Goodman has truly served as an
advocate for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities;
and

WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by an
individual for the benefits of others which Willie Mae Goodman has
displayed throughout her life; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Willie Mae Goodman for 50 years of service as a Champion for
individuals with developmental disabilities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Willie Mae Goodman.