Senate Resolution No. 1918
BY: Senator CLEARE
HONORING the life of Bob Law, pioneering Black
radio broadcaster, and his incredible service to
Broadcasting, Journalism and the communities of New
York
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that the quality
and character of life in this great Empire State is indelibly enriched
by the faithful and untiring efforts of those individuals who have
helped shape the history of broadcasting; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to
honor the life of Bob Law, pioneering Black radio broadcaster, and his
incredible service to Broadcasting, Journalism and the communities of
New York; and
WHEREAS, Robert (Bob) Louis Law was born on April 6, 1939, in
Brooklyn, New York, to John Law and Lucille Law; and
WHEREAS, Bob Law studied visual communications and commercial art at
Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from 1959 to 1961; he went on to work as a
graphic artist and magazine art director; and
WHEREAS, In 1962, Bob Law became involved with the civil rights
movement when he joined the Brooklyn chapter of the Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE); he then became a Field Secretary and student organizer
with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); and
WHEREAS, Bob Law's involvement with the Independent Movement for
Political Action (IMPA), a community organization in Brooklyn, led to
his move into radio when he was invited to discuss the movement's
antidrug message as a guest on "Tell It Like It Is," a Sunday afternoon
show hosted by Bernie McCain, WWRL's public affairs director; and
WHEREAS, When Bernie McCain left the station in the early 1970s, he
asked Bob Law to take over his position and soon after, Bob Law got his
first taste of hosting when he started "Black Dialogue," a weekly
two-hour program on the station; and
WHEREAS, In 1981, about a decade into his radio career, Bob Law
began hosting "Night Talk," a midnight-to-5-a.m. call-in show on WWRL-AM
in Queens, New York, that was carried over stations nationwide by the
National Black Network; it became the first live nationally syndicated
Black radio talk show; and
WHEREAS, Bob Law used his platform to expose a national audience to
local causes like building housing for poor sharecroppers in Tunica,
Mississippi, asking his listeners in 1982, to donate money to help save
Mound Bayou, a small Mississippi city founded in 1887 by freed slaves,
from financial ruin, and he encouraged the establishment of the National
Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, on the site of the former Lorraine
Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in
1968; and
WHEREAS, When he moved to WBAI, another New York station, in 2013,
Bob Law continued his community focus with the show "From The Streets";
and
WHEREAS, Bob Law was incredibly passionate about wellness and for
many years, with his wife, Muntu (Doggett) Law, by his side, they ran
Namaskar-a health and wellness store that stocked products for the Black
community-in Brooklyn along with a children's bookstore and a
restaurant; and
WHEREAS, At the age of 86, Bob Law died on March 30, 2026, in
Mineola, New York; he is predeceased by his wife, Muntu, and survived by
his daughters Aisha Patrice Abdullah and Ms. Law Napier; three
grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and sister, Carole Peppers; and
WHEREAS, Bob Law has, throughout his career and purposeful life,
served his community with integrity and devotion, continuously striving
to meet the needs of his listeners and community through entertainment
and enlightenment; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor the life of Bob Law, pioneering Black radio broadcaster, and his
incredible service to Broadcasting, Journalism and the communities of
New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Bob Law.
