Black Americans are less likely to have advance directives and to receive hospice care, compared to White Americans. This is a social justice and racial equity issue. To address these injustices, community-based and community-led programs must be developed. To inform program development, a needs assessment was conducted with two focus groups comprised of Black professionals who serve Black New York communities. The focus groups highlighted challenges in identifying acceptable language (e.g., terms such as "died" or "transitioned"), conversational barriers, systems of oppression, and the need for trustworthy and accessible resources. We will explore these findings and provide recommendations. Objectives: • Describe common language and preferred terminology regarding death and dying among Black New York communities. • Identify barriers to end of life conversations, planning, and care experienced by Black New Yorkers • Examine focus groups as a method to inform program development to improve healthcare equity at the end of life and promote health literacy in end of life-focused programs