Bill Text: NY J02568 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: recognizing the New York Chapter of the National Domestic Workers Alliance

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 41-21)

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-29 - ADOPTED [J02568 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J02568-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 2568

BY: Senator RAMOS

        COMMEMORATING  Dorothy  Bolden's 100th Birthday on
        October 13, 2024

  WHEREAS, From time to time, this  Legislative  Body  takes  note  of
certain  individuals  whom  it  wishes  to  recognize  for  their valued
contributions and to publicly acknowledge  their  endeavors  which  have
enhanced the basic humanity among us all; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
commemorate Dorothy Bolden's 100th Birthday on October 13, 2024; and

  WHEREAS, Born on October 13, 1924, Dorothy Bolden began working as a
domestic  worker  at  the age of nine and continued for 50 years; in the
early 1960s, she started educating and  advocating  for  the  rights  of
domestic  workers  such as nannies, caregivers of the elderly, and house
cleaners; and

  WHEREAS, In 1968, on the advice and encouragement of  her  neighbor,
Dr.    Martin  Luther  King,  Jr.,  Dorothy  Bolden founded the National
Domestic  Workers  Union  of  America  (NDWUA);  the  group's  name  was
aspirational, in the sense that it was neither national nor a union, but
for  several  decades,  it  worked  to  improve  working  conditions for
domestic workers in Atlanta, Georgia; and

  WHEREAS, The NDWUA eventually represented more than 30,000  domestic
workers across 10 cities and was the longest-surviving union of domestic
workers  in  U.S.  cities; a true trailblazer, she helped legitimize and
organize domestic workers on a scale the country had never  seen  before
and  as  a  result,  deserves the highest praise and recognition for her
unrelenting and admirable efforts; and

  WHEREAS, In April 1972, then-Governor Jimmy Carter, in collaboration
with Dorothy Bolden and the NDWUA, declared Maids' Honor Day an official
holiday in the state of  Georgia;  through  her  work  with  the  NDWUA,
Dorothy Bolden was able to register thousands of Georgians to vote; and

  WHEREAS,  Dorothy  Bolden, who led the NDWUA for 28 years, continued
to fight for domestic workers rights until she died  in  July  of  2005;
because  of  her advocacy, the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)
was born in 2007, at the first United States Social  Forum  in  Atlanta;
and

  WHEREAS,  Each  year,  the National Domestic Workers Alliance and We
Dream in Black celebrate Dorothy Bolden's birthday and  the  legacy  she
left for domestic workers; and

  WHEREAS,  In 2010, New York became the first state to win a Domestic
Workers Bill of Rights, a benefit that undoubtedly was able to  come  to
fruition as a result of the lifelong efforts of Dorothy Bolden and other
pioneers alike; and

  WHEREAS,  The  National Domestic Workers Alliance's New York chapter
members stand in the strong and proud legacy of  Dorothy  Bolden's  work
and resistance; 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 the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate  Dorothy Bolden's 100th Birthday on October 13, 2024; and be
it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to the National Domestic Workers Alliance.