Systemic Reform

Bill Details: The Stormiyah Denson-Jackson Economic Damages Equity Act (Bill 24-0061) passed by unanimous vote of the DC City Council on October 18, 2022. It is an historic and significant moment for our community and the District. Prior to the Stormiyah Bill’s passage, the law in the District and in every state throughout the country, except for California, allowed for a lower financial valuation of a person’s wrongful death claim based on gender and race. Thus, Stormiyah’s life was considered far less valuable than a white boy’s life, for example, under the same facts. The Stormiyah Denson-Jackson law now prohibits the consideration of race and gender to devalue the life of a person in a personal injury or wrongful death civil lawsuit in the District of Columbia. Stormiyah’s legacy for fighting for change in her community lives on with this law’s passage and now Black or Brown girls’ lives are just as valuable as everyone else’s!