More than 150 grassroots, civic, labor, student, and social justice organizations will gather this Saturday for The Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey.
The event, organized by the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), aims to foster collaboration among activists and community members advocating for social and economic justice.
The convention will take place on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM at Essex County College’s Smith Hall located at 303 University Avenue in Newark.
The event is free and open to the public, with attendees encouraged to register in advance through Eventbrite or by calling POP at (973) 801-0001.
Since its announcement two weeks ago, the number of endorsing organizations has surged from 65 to 154, reflecting broad-based support for the convention’s mission.
Lawrence Hamm, chairman of POP, stated that the significant increase in endorsements demonstrates the urgency of this moment and emphasized bringing together diverse groups to develop a united agenda for justice and resistance.
“When we announced the convention two weeks ago, there were about 65 organizations that endorsed the event. Now there are more than 150. That is a very significant increase in support. We hope it continues to grow,” said Hamm.
The convention has drawn support from labor unions, environmental groups, faith-based organizations, and racial justice advocates, including Local 108 Retail Wholesale Department Store Union (UFCW), Newark Branch NAACP, 350NJ-Rockland, and New Jersey Communities for Accountable Policing (NJCAP).
Charles Hall, President of Local 108 UFCW, emphasized labor’s role in civil rights by stating that the mission of labor is to fight for a better life for workers, which includes defending civil rights and standing against injustice.
Zayid Muhammad, Lead Organizer of NJCAP, linked the event to historical resistance movements by noting they stand united against fascist policing and systemic oppression in the spirit of the Black Panther Party’s 1969 conference.
Ted Glick, President of 350NJ-Rockland, highlighted the intersection of environmental and social justice by stating their fight for climate justice is tied to the broader struggle for equity and that this convention represents a step toward collective power.
The event seeks to develop a “People’s Agenda” for social justice and resistance while addressing issues such as police accountability, economic inequality, climate justice, and workers’ rights.
The convention aims to build coalitions to counter policies seen as regressive, including those of the Trump administration.
Hamm noted that the convention follows January’s Martin Luther King March of Resistance, which protested efforts to roll back civil rights gains.
The 154 endorsing organizations span a wide range of causes, including labor groups like Utility Workers Union of America Local 601 and CWA Local 1081, civil rights organizations such as ACLU of NJ and National Action Network (NJ chapters), environmental advocates including Food & Water Watch and Greenfaith International, faith-based groups like Newark Interfaith Alliance and Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ, and student organizations including Seton Hall MLK Scholarship Association and Students for Justice in Palestine.
Hamm, a longtime Newark-based activist, has led campaigns for police accountability, a $15 minimum wage, and progressive reforms while running for U.S. Senate in 2020 and 2024 and advocating for Medicare for All, reparations, and climate justice.
Hamm is a lifelong civil rights organizer based in Newark, who has been a leading voice for racial and economic justice, police accountability, and progressive reform for over four decades.
Founded in 1982, the People’s Organization for Progress is a grassroots group focused on civil rights, economic justice, and anti-police brutality efforts that organizes weekly protests and major mobilizations including the annual MLK March of Resistance.
For additional details, visit njpop.org or contact the People’s Organization for Progress at (973) 801-0001 or info@njpop.org.
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