October 31, 2023 Grandchildren of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, Henry A. Wallace, Harry Hopkins, ask Governor Hochul to Honor Legacy of the New Deal (NEW YORK, NY) – Today, a group of descendants of the original architects of the New Deal sent a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to honor the values established by their grandparents by refraining from eroding New York’s legal Right to Shelter. They point out that the Right to Shelter is derived from Article XVII of the NY State Constitution, and that provision was inserted as a direct result of the New Deal progressivism that was shaping – and has continued to shape – New York’s response to poverty and homelessness. The letter was signed by James Roosevelt, Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall, Henry Scott Wallace, and June Hopkins – all relatives of progressive American heroes, who as a group and individually have been actively working to protect and promote the legacy of the New Deal nationwide. In the letter, the New Deal descendants draw parallels between the Great Depression and the migrant crisis – noting the devastating impacts of homelessness, poverty and hunger. The letter reminds the Governor of the history, purpose and impact of the New Deal, and that the long-established Right to Shelter is an invaluable Constitutional tool for New Yorkers that must be protected at all costs.
