When I heard that Bob Law had joined the ancestors on March 30 at the age of 86, I could still hear his melodious voice asking me a question and then answering it for me. He was a radio commentator who knew more about the subject than his invited guest, and he could elaborate on it extensively. That was his style, no matter the station or format, and for more than 50 years, he never bit his tongue and championed a host of issues that other broadcasters refused to touch. Last year was my last appearance on his show, which was aired on the Streamyard platform. We discussed the Trump administration and the need for African Americans not to be intimidated by his “arrogance of power.”
Bob certainly wasn’t, nor was he fearful of anyone else in the streets or on the other side of the microphone. Several of his comrades have offered their impressions of his passing, noting that he was a pioneer and a giant in Black radio, both literally and figuratively, standing at least 6-foot-6 inches.
“Bob Law was a pioneer in National Black Talk radio,” said Rev. Al Sharpton. “His unparalleled NightTalk show was the political grapevine of Black America. He was one of a kind, a true representative and voice of Black radio, and he gave me my first radio program when I was 16. He, along with Hank Spann, introduced me to James Brown. My personal relationship with him and his queen, Muntu, ran deep and strong for over 50 years. I will miss him dearly.”
Rennie Bishop, former program director of New York’s WWRL radio station and Bob’s producer, said that “He stood at the mic like a lighthouse, unblinking in the storm. A voice for the people, a spine for the truth. Fearless in witness, relentless in love for his community. An icon, not because he sought it, but because he earned it.” In a lengthy encomium, Todd Steven Burroughs linked Law with Imhotep Gary Byrd and the late Gil Noble, a veritable triumvirate of sonic boom on the airwaves. “All three seem to be addressing the same audience — one seeking the Black media imperative as preferred programming. In my view, the audience Law, Byrd, and Noble seem to target is composed of serious-minded African American adults…all were part of a generation of Blacks influenced by the Civil Rights and Black Power Wovement.” And Burroughs singled out Law’s background as a community organizer and much more from his Ph.D. dissertation.
One of his most notable achievements as a community organizer was co-chairing the New York contingent of the historic Million Man March with Dr. Ron Daniels in 1995. Daniels, who spearheads the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, said of Law that “without a doubt, Bob Law was a towering figure in the history of Black talk radio. I call him the tall one. He had this unique style of posing a question and laying out solutions. I had the honor of hosting Night Talk before American Urban Radio Network decided to bring on the beloved Bev Smith. You can bet that in the ancestor realm, Bob will be organizing talks and Pan-African strategies.” He added that he was planning to have Bob on his show on WBAI, but didn’t hear back from him, noting that the fearless broadcaster was challenged by daily trips to dialysis.
“Bob Law changed my life,” said Fern Gillespie, a veteran publicist and journalist. “In 1981, after I had produced a high profile on talk radio shows at progressive WHUR in D.C. and New York’s WMCA, Bob asked me to produce Vy Higginsen’s new morning talk show and music magazine. It was the first Black news talk/music wake-up show in NYC.” Later, he tapped her to serve as AURN’s producer and to host the first nationally syndicated live Black talk show. “I’m glad I was able to interview Bob last year for Our Time Press. His voice was radio strong. He is a radio legend, may he rest in peace and power.”
During one of his closing remarks at the National Black Leadership Alliance, Bob stressed that Black sisters and brothers should not only push back against racism and white supremacy but also, to wage this struggle effectively, join our hands and minds to harness the strength and energy to bring about change. We must love each other, not hate each other, and that energy of love will empower us and bring about justice to end injustice.
State Sen. Cordell Cleare and New York Attorney General Letitia James were among those offering condolences for Law. “My heart is with the family and loved ones of Bob Law,” James wrote on Facebook. “Bob was a renowned radio talk show host and a tireless activist for the Black community, and his impact will continue to be felt for generations to come. May he rest in peace.”
Law was preceded in death by his wife, Muntu.
Whether from a radio studio, a church vestry, as he did on many occasions at Abyssinian Baptist Church, or from Namaskar, his health food store, Bob’s voice was one of political clarity and unflinching resonance, and it is by no means stilled when you consider the thousands of voices now echoing his legend.
I worked the night shift at the post office, listening to Bob Law was like getting paid to listen to him. Listening to his show, not only was informative it helped me develop my consciousness as an African-American man.