A Brooklyn family's fight to honor their son is going national.

“I’m standing for all the mother’s all the father’s that’s in my place and wishing that their child had their degree,” said Michelle Barnes-Anderson.

Barnes-Anderson lost her only child, Melquain, in 2017 while he was a student at John Jay College. She fought for years to establish Mel's Law in honor of her son.

The law requires SUNY and CUNY schools to establish a policy for awarding posthumous degrees.

Mel's law was signed into law in October 2023.

On Monday, Barnes-Anderson and other gun violence activists came together to announce the law will be introduced in Congress in hopes of becoming a federal mandate.

"This is so impactful because again it's not just about gun violence, Rev. Dr. Xenia Barnes, Melaquain's aunt, said. " It's about all types of violence. It’s about suicide prevention. it’s about someone like myself suffering from a terminal illness.”