Political challenges that will be faced by the Black community in the aftermath of the midterm elections and possible responses to them will be discussed at an upcoming program that will be held this week.
“The Attack On Voting Rights And The War On Black People,” will be the subject of a forum that will be held on Monday, November 9, 2026, 6:00pm at New Eden Baptist Church, 690 South 12th Street in Newark, New Jersey.
The event is sponsored by the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) a grassroots group that fights for civil and human rights. It has been endorsed by the Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance Planning Committee.
“Now that the midterm elections have taken place we must ask where do we go from here?” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.
“The purpose of this forum is to discuss how do we continue our struggle to stop the attacks on voting rights and the war on Black people in the aftermath of the midterms and new political conditions brought about by those elections,” Hamm said.
“The election is over but the attack on voting rights and the war on Black people has continued. Even during this election there were efforts to suppress the vote,” he said.
Hamm said that those efforts did not yield the results that were expected, and in fact the outcome was just the opposite.
“Voters went to the polls in record breaking numbers and wrenched control of Congress from Trump’s MAGA Republicans by electing a majority of Democrats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate,” he declared.
“Now that this strategic goal has been achieved what are the next steps that must be taken?” he asked. “We will attempt to answer that question at our forum,” he said.
Invited speakers scheduled for the forum include Rev. Dr. Bernard W. Savage, Senior Pastor, New Eden Baptist Church, Amina Bey, Central Ward Councilwoman, Lisa Maddox, New Eden Baptist Church, Judith Favors, NAACP Newark Branch, and Lawrence Hamm.
Rev. Dr Allen Simmons will serve as program moderator.
The upcoming forum in Newark is the twelfth of the series on this topic. Others were held in Montclair, Plainfield, Newark, Maplewood, Hackensack, East Orange, Riverton, Paterson, Roselle, Jersey City. This will be the third forum in Newark.
The program will have two parts. The first part will consist of a panel discussion. The second part will consist of audience participation.
Hamm said that although the midterms have been held the country is not out of the danger zone yet. Voting rights are still under attack. And there is the possibility that Trump may attempt to block the installation of the new Congress.
“Members of his administration and inner circle have urged Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, declare a national state of emergency and martial law, in order to stop the transfer of power to the new majority in the Congress,” he said.
“We oppose any attempts by Trump to overturn this election by invoking the Insurrection Act, declaring a national emergency, and instituting martial law,” Hamm said.
“Should he do so then we will join the call for massive resistance to such measures.
We will call for demonstrations across the nation, boycotts, and other forms of mass protest including a general strike if necessary,” he said.
Monday night’s discussion will not end with the attack on voting rights, but will also include an examination of the attacks on black people in the economy, education, health, criminal justice and other important areas.
For more information on the forum please contact People’s Organization for Progress at 973 801-0001.
