“The Attack On Voting Rights And The War On Black People,” will be the subject of a panel discussion that will be held on Friday, May 29, 2026, 7:00pm at St Paul’s Baptist Church, 119 Elm Street in Montclair, New Jersey.
The event is sponsored by the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) a grassroots group that works for racial, social, economic justice and peace.
“The purpose of this forum is to examine the negative political, economic, and social impact of the racist and fascist Trump regime, right-wing Congress, and ultra conservative Supreme Court on Black people and to discuss strategies and tactics to fight back against this onslaught,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.
The panelists will include Rev Campbell Singleton, Union Baptist Church of Montclair, James Harris, former president New Jersey Association of Black Educators, State Senator Britnee Timberlake, and Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress. The panel moderator will be Ingrid Hill, Vice Chairwoman, People’s Organization For Progress.
Invited special guest speakers include Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Congresswoman Monica McIver and Congresswoman Analilia Mejia.
“We decided to have this forum after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in the Louisiana v. Callais case. That ruling effectively killed the 1965 Voting Rights Act,” Hamm said.
“That was one of the worst U.S. Supreme Court decisions since the ruling in the Dred Scott case of 1857 which said that black people had no rights that white people were bound to respect,” he said.
Hamm said the court’s decision enables racist state legislatures to redraw their congressional districts and eliminate those districts which have large black populations.
“These states, most of which are part of the old Confederacy, have already redrawn their maps or are in the process of doing so. Ultimately, their efforts could result in the loss of as many as 19 congressional seats now held by African Americans,” he said.
“It could possibly leave the South, where the majority of African Americans still live, with little or no Black congressional representation,” he said.
However, the attack on voting rights is not the only reason the program is being held. He said Black people feel that they are being attacked politically, economically, and socially.
“The racist and fascist vitriol of President Trump, reactionary policies coming from the White House, the right wing decisions of the Supreme Court, failure of Congress to uphold the Constitution and stand up for equality and democracy makes it feel like we are being attacked from all sides,” Hamm said.
He stated additional reasons. Racism and racist violence against black people continues to rise. African Americans continue to have the highest number of victims of race-based and bias related crimes.
Black Americans experience the highest rate of police brutality and fatal shootings by police. Black people are three times more likely to be killed by police than whites.
Enrollment of black students at colleges and universities has declined due to the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action in higher education.
Black unemployment has doubled this past year, with more than 600,000 black people losing their jobs, including 350,000 Black women, due in part to a sagging economy, federal budget cuts, and the ending of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
“It feels like we are being dragged back to the nightmare of Jim Crow segregation. We feel under siege. We feel like there is a war on the black community,”he said.
The program will basically have two parts. The first part will consist of a panel discussion. The second part will consist audience participation.
For more information please call People’s Organization for Progress at 973 801-0001.
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