The Martin Luther King “We Won’t Go Back” March To Be Held In Newark

The People’s Organization For Progress is sponsoring The Martin Luther King “We Won’t Go Back” March that will be held on Martin Luther King's actual birthday, Sunday, January 15, 2023.

The organization will be marching to protest racism, sexism, facism, and war.

The march will begin at 2:00pm at the Martin Luther King Statue, 495 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Newark, NJ.

For more information call POP at (973) 801-0001. Contact POP if your organization would like to co-sponsor this event. Please wear masks and practice social distancing.

The People's Organization for Progress works to empower communities and fight for their needs. P.O.P. confronts issues about equality, justice, poverty, racism, umemployment, affordable housing and education, violence(of any sort), etc., as well as local, national, and international issues.

Payne Center for Social Justice Announces Historic Partnership Between African Universities and Public HBCUs

The Payne Center for Social Justice (PCSJ) announced the launch of a historic partnership between 17 universities in Africa and a select group of the 47 public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) served by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF). 

The partnership between the PCSJ and Stellenbosch University in South Africa will lead to the creation of the Academy for Growth and Global Engagement: Africans and African Americans (AGGE). In cooperation with the Center, Stellenbosch will serve as the anchor and administrative arm of the Academy and will be managed through a steering committee of representatives from participating universities.

A partnership agreement was signed and celebrated in conjunction with President Biden’s “US-Africa Leaders’ Summit” [December 13-15, 2022] and following Semafor’s Africa Summit on December 12, 2022, at GALLUP. The Summit created a prime opportunity to engage leadership at the highest levels of government and industry in the African Union’s (AU) First Continental Report of the Implementation of Agenda 2063 in relation to this newly formed partnership. 

The primary purpose of the Academy is to build a robust community of learning designed to build capacity in education, research, and extension for the public good,” said Dr. M.C. Brown, Executive Director of the Payne Center. “We intend to bring scholars in Africa and the U.S. together in search of new and innovative ideas that have the power to transform the human condition in Africa and in Black America.”

This partnership will strengthen the Center’s commitment to bolstering human capital for tomorrow’s workforce and aligns with the Center’s pursuit of research rooted in social science and focused in six primary areas of concentration, (1) Civic Participation; (2) Economics and Wealth; (3) Educational Equity; (4) The Future of Work; (5) Communities and Environments; and (6) Organizational Entities. 

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 ABOUT THE PAYNE CENTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) created the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center for Social Justice as a nexus for research and advocacy to advance social justice for Black Americans. The Payne Center draws together top HBCU scholars, national thought leaders, community advocates, and on-the-ground solution-makers to identify, evaluate and scale new evidenced-based programs and policies designed to create sustainable change to the fabric of Black life in American society.

 

Dionne Warwick documentary’s premieres on TV New Years Day on CNN

The Dionne Warwick documentary,“Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over” airs 9 p.m. ET/PT Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 on CNN.

Set against a music world profoundly divided between black and white, DON'T MAKE ME OVER tells the dramatic story of Dionne Warwick's meteoric rise from New Jersey gospel choirs to international cross-over super stardom.

The film is directed by David Heilbroner and Dave Wooley and was written by Dave Wooley.

The documentary stars Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, and Jerry Blavat

The documentary will also be accessible through CNN on demand starting Monday, Jan. 2, 2023.

WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW

Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen by George McCalman

A gorgeous collection of 145 original portraits that celebrates Black pioneers—famous and little-known--in politics, science, literature, music, and more—with biographical reflections, all created and curated by an award-winning graphic designer.

Illustrated Black History is a breathtaking collection of original portraits depicting black heroes—both famous and unsung—who made their mark on activism, science, politics, business, medicine, technology, food, arts, entertainment, and more. Each entry includes a lush drawing or painting by artist George McCalman, along with an insightful essay summarizing the person’s life story.

The 145 entries range from the famous to the little-known, from literary luminary James Baldwin to documentarian Madeline Anderson, who produced “I Am Somebody” about the 1969 strike of mostly female hospital workers; from Aretha Franklin to James and Eloyce Gist, who had a traveling ministry in the early 1900s; from Colin Kaepernick to Guion S. Bluford, the first Black person to travel into space.

Beautifully designed with over 300 unique four-color artworks and accessible to readers of all ages, this eye-opening, educational, dynamic, and timely compendium pays homage to Black Americans and their achievements, and showcases the depth and breadth of Black genius.

CHECK OUT THE BOOK ON AMAZON

The State of Black America The 2022 Report

In the 46th edition of the State of Black America Under Siege: the Plot to Destroy Democracy, we are again raising the alarm on the outlook of Black and Brown people as political forces have launched an all-out assault on voting rights.

Never has the fragility of our Democracy been more exposed than it is today. Fueled by "The Big Lie," that there was mass voter fraud in the 2020 election, state legislatures are restricting voting access in districts with large populations of African Americans and other people of color. Some states are taken measures even further by actively targeting election officials and election oversight roles held by people of color.

State legislatures are redrawing voting districts, enacting strict voter ID laws, and ending all forms of early voting to disenfranchise voters and reduce the number of Congressional seats held by people of color.

Our research partners, the Brennan Center for Justice, paints a clear picture of states that have introduced bills and signed laws that provide partisan power to control the outcome of our elections through a series of maps. The visuals also track states that have introduced new Congressional maps that disproportionately impact Black and Brown communities.

This year's report includes essays from people fighting to protect our right to vote in the halls of Congress, courts around the nation, and grassroots leaders in our backyards. Each piece provides insight on how to restore honor to the U.S., a path to progress beyond the filibuster, the imminent danger those face who stand up to hatred and violence in their political party, and healing and protecting our nation one year after the deadly insurrection on January 6th, 2021.

Leaders will guide us on the power of community when protecting the Black vote. The White House gives us insight into how they plan to ensure voting remains a civil right for every American, regardless of race, color, gender, or creed.

There may never be another opportunity to keep America a Democratic institution for the people by the people, to a society controlled by a few, or worse.

Click Here To Read the 2022 State Of Black America Report