UPDATE AS OF 9/23/20!

On September 23, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1925 by unanimous consent! Thank you to our members, supporters, and allies who stood with us and marched with us, who provided letters and statements of support, who took the time to make calls and send emails to their representatives, who went in person to Congressional offices with us, who provided financial support, and otherwise took part in the effort to get the full support of New York State's Congressional delegation, state and local legislative offices, and support from VSOs and veteran-serving organizations for this bill!

NEXT STEPS:

If you're a New York resident, please contact Sen. Gillibrand and Sen. Schumer to urge them to move S.898 forward. Please also contact Sen. Jerry Moran, Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, to urge him to bring this bill to a vote. 

On August 14, 2020, Deputy Director James Fitzgerald testified before a joint hearing by the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs, Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Assembly Subcommittee on Women Veterans on the impacts of COVID-19 on New York's veterans. His full testimony:

This week in NYC we are under the first curfew imposed on the city since the rioting in Harlem in August 1943 following the shooting of a Black soldier. As veterans, we believe the story of 1943 should be told. 

In November 1942, Private David Wood, assigned to the 9th Engineer Regiment at Fort Dix, New Jersey, was shot in his stomach by a police officer while he waited for tickets at a movie theater. Violence and discrimination against Black troops serving during World War II was pervasive not only in the South, but nationwide. Black veterans of World War I, especially those who served grueling months fighting on the front lines in Europe as Harlem Hellfighters, remembered clearly the discrimination and hatred they faced both during their service and upon their return home. The murder of Private Wood by a white policeman marked the tenth murder of a Black soldier since Pearl Harbor. 

America had seen decades of racial violence and rioting, and 1943 was especially violent. On June 15, 1943, thousands of white residents of Beaumont, Texas, destroyed and looted black businesses and homes over two days when a white woman stated that a black man had raped her, although no assailant was never identified. On June 20, 1943, Detroit erupted in racial violence as white aggression over racially integrated factory labor fomented a night of violence and retaliation, in which 17 Black residents were killed by police. The summer of 1943 was one in which Black communities across the country were tense and on edge as their young men were recruited to fight overseas and whole communities served in the broader war effort at home, despite the discrimination and violence they were forced to suffer. 

Updated 9/9/20 - Since mid-March, veteran volunteers and NYC Veterans Alliance staff have been helping veterans and their families with the realities they're facing during this pandemic. Whether it's an emergency hotel stay when housing programs fail, or nutritious groceries when they're too expensive or unavailable, or help with overdue essential bills, or just a knowledgeable, friendly fellow veteran to check in with -- we want to be there for you. Please let us know what you need by filling out our Veterans Mutual Aid Request Form:

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST HELP

You can also call us at 929-265-4549. You've asked us questions--and we want to help with answers. Here's the latest updated information: