More than 200 organizations have endorsed a daylong convention set for Saturday in Newark, where activists plan to hash out and vote on a shared “people’s agenda” aimed at pushing back against policies coming out of Washington. The gathering, billed as the second annual Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Smith Hall on the campus of Essex County College, 303 University Ave.
The convention is sponsored by the People’s Organization for Progress and co-sponsored by the Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance Planning Committee, according to nj.com. It's free and open to the public, and organizers are encouraging people to register in advance, though there is no registration fee, per wibailoutpeople.org. Organizers note that endorsements may continue to come in through the day of the event itself, so the final tally of backing groups isn't locked in yet.
A Day Built Around Debate and Votes
The schedule kicks off with registration and breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., followed by opening remarks from POP Chairman Lawrence Hamm. From there, attendees move into the first of two plenary sessions, running 10 a.m. to noon, where resolutions will be proposed and voted on. After a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m., a second plenary session picks back up from 1:30 to 4 p.m., with the closing session reviewing whichever resolutions passed.
Rather than holding separate breakout workshops, the event is organized as what organizers call a working convention, with attendees debating and voting on measures concerning reparations, racial justice, immigration policy and voting rights. Any resolutions passed would be nonbinding: they would express the convention’s shared position, not change the policies of endorsing organizations. Each group would decide for itself whether to formally adopt them.
Voter Mobilization Takes Center Stage
Organizers say the convention is meant to develop what they're calling a people's agenda for social justice and resistance while building a coalition opposed to policies advanced by the Trump administration, Congress and the Supreme Court. Voter registration, education and mobilization ahead of the midterm elections will get particular attention on the agenda, the nj.com report notes.
Hamm said he expects the organizing work to continue well past Election Day. “I am always hopeful for strategy and coordination above all else,” he said, according to the same report. He also said the federal government is causing pain and suffering both at home and abroad. POP has previously said it's also working toward a Million People's March in New Jersey planned for October 2026.
Labor and Faith Groups Sign On
Among the endorsing organizations is RWDSU/UFCW Local 108, whose president, Charles N. Hall Jr., said POP serves the community by speaking up for social injustice. Faith in New Jersey has also endorsed the gathering. Its executive director, Charlene Walker, said, “I am always hopeful for strategy and coordination above all else,” according to the nj.com report cited above.
Deborah Smith-Gregory, president of the Newark branch of the NAACP, said reparations for Black people have not yet been met — a point likely to surface during debate on the reparations resolutions. POP has also spoken out against voter suppression as part of its broader platform heading into the convention.
Refugee Policy Looms Over the Agenda
Part of what's animating this year's gathering is a set of federal refugee policy moves. According to CBS News as cited in the nj.com report, the Trump administration plans to cap refugee admissions at 17,500 for fiscal year 2027, with available slots going primarily to white South African Afrikaners, and the resettlement effort carries a projected cost of $500 million.
Building on Last Year's Turnout
The inaugural convention took place April 26, 2025, and organizers later said it produced a 60-plus-page agenda containing 27 resolutions, according to a year-end nj.com recap. Reported totals for how many organizations took part in that first gathering have varied depending on the source and how the count was framed — nj.com's later recap cited 207 endorsing organizations, while an InsiderNJ press release put the figure at 270, RWDSU's coverage described more than 65 organizations taking part, and Local Talk Weekly reported 286 sponsoring partners tied to the event.
What became of the 2025 resolutions?
In its preview of the April 26, 2025, convention at Essex County College, NJ.com reported that organizers intended the resolutions to help guide endorsing groups’ political activities. That account described the plan, but did not document whether organizations later adopted the resolutions or acted on them.
Local Talk Weekly's account of that first convention said attendees passed or amended 19 resolutions across 11 subject areas, while RWDSU reported the day featured speakers and workshops covering labor rights, racial justice, environmental concerns and political reform. Whatever the exact headcount, organizers are hoping Saturday's sequel builds on that momentum heading into the midterms.
