By Nayaba Arinde
Editor-at-Large

With a great showing of much national recognition and respect, services were held for the WWRL and WBAI internationally known radio veteran and activist, Bob Law, from Thursday, April 9th to Saturday, April 11th, 2026. He was laid to rest on Saturday in Rosehill Cemetery, New Jersey.

Bob Law’s funeral service was held in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, at the Grand Historic First Church of God in Christ, where a few generations of his family have been members.
Both the service on Friday, 10th April, and the wake on the previous day at Frank R. Bell Funeral Home were filled with emotion, memories, gratitude, assignments to continue the work, and hope.
The nationally syndicated “Night Talk” host Brother Law was the full main character, as the kids say, as speaker after speaker lauded his proven resilience and fortitude.

With a forceful and compassionate delivery, Rev. Diane Lacey began the funeral service. Longtime Bob Law friends Eugene Carson and Buster Soaries spoke on personal reflections and his national impact. Rev. Joe Williams and Rev. Joseph Clemmons kept the faith front and center as they praised Bob Law’s eternal, authentic drive to inspire and empower his people.

Eugene Carson read proclamations from State Senator Cordell Cleare, Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman, and a message from Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also presented a framed proclamation to the Law family.
“Bob Law was always working and studying to improve his service to our cause of liberation,” said Minister Louis Farrakhan in a letter read by Harlem’s Mosque 7C Minister Arthur Muhammad. “His radio shows were monuments of study, knowledge, and commitment to the rise of our people.”

Beloved singer Melba Moore sang a tribute to Mr. Law, and told the paper that he was, “A great man, a great citizen, great community servant, and just full of love for everybody, and very courageous. It is a great loss. He was a crusader, and he really helped us to fortify our identity, not to give it away. He always reminded us that we are fine just how we are, and we are Black, and that’s a great thing.”

The first to arrive at the church, Secretary of State Walter Mosely, told Our Time Press that Bob Law has been “a pillar in our community, and someone who has left an indelible imprint not only on Central Brooklyn, but in this country. He is someone whose advice, intellect, and shared experience are something that he has passed down to so many public servants like myself who carry on his legacy and his memory, which means he still continues to live amongst us, so we are so indebted to him.”
Activist Pam Africa shared a tribute from Mumia Abu Jamal, who praised “Bob Law– a master griot. Tall. Outspoken and well opinionated.”

“With love not fear,” the Black liberation-focused, still incarcerated former broadcaster, continued that Bob Law, famed radio host Imhotep Gary Byrd, and revered TV host Gil Noble, were “a powerful threesome of Black talk and TV and radio. Bob Law was an icon who began as a community organizer, before he took to the mic to give voice to Black minds at night.”
“Bob is not resting,” said Philly-based activist Pam Africa. “He is sitting at the table with the other warrior ancestors. He is working to keep us on the right track. We will miss him.”

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams told the paper that he was “Proud to give him a proclamation in 2024. Honored to have honored a man who paved the way to help someone like me be the highest ranking Black City official, and still have him holding us accountable.”
Brooklyn Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman, Deputy Majority Whip, said, “Bob Law–the Conscious Voice that shaped generations…he didn’t just inform us—he transformed us, reminding us to care for our minds, our bodies, and our people.”

The wake and the service brought out radio legends like Ken ‘Spider’ Webb, and several video messages, including from CEMOTAP – the Committee to Eliminate Media Offensive to African People co-founder Betty Dopson, and former elected activists Charles and Inez Barron.

Melba Moore sang a tribute, Craig Crawford played a great saxophone selection, and Bob’s niece, Kiera Peppers, showcased a beautiful tune on the piano.
At the end of the funeral, Aisha Patrice Law Abdllah told the paper that the show of support and love has been healing to the family. “It has been holding us up. The community has really embraced our family. We are grateful, as we are grieving. It’s wonderful to see this community’s love for our beloved father. God’s word is healing, and we are leaning on that. This love is encouraging.”

Poet Lisa Muhammad hailed “the collectivity of the Communal Giants– he is definitely one. Brother Bob Law, Brother Gil Noble, Baba Jitu Weusi. These Brothers were giants–literarily, figuratively, spiritually, and we all still feed from their mighty trees…and their roots run mighty deep. I am very grateful for their example.”

Sister Tara Muhammad said, “He was a blessing for talk radio. Radio has not been the same, and I love radio; I listen to it every day. And it is odd, I work with young people, and they do not. Everything is social media now. But for me, meeting Ken Spider Webb yesterday at the viewing.
I remember you’d set your day by who was on the radio. I am very glad to have known these giants in radio growing up, and how they shaped our lives at that time.”

Assemblywoman Latrice Walker told Our Time Press, “I had the honor of being interviewed multiple times by pioneering journalist Bob Law, including while I was in the midst of a hunger strike to protect bail reform. He was earnest, professional, and lived up to the high esteem in which people held him.

He paved the way for a generation through the National Black Network’s ‘Night Talk with Bob Law’ show, launched in 1981. The show was not only historic as the first nationally broadcast Black radio talk show in the country, but it was simply a must-listen for anyone interested in the Black agenda. Recordings of the popular show could serve as a blueprint for community-focused radio.”

Alongside the Law family, Funeral Director Francis Bell, Nation of Islam Eastern Region Protocol Director Daeel Muhammad, and the Muslim Girls in Training hospitality services helped coordinate the wake and the funeral.