For several weeks, Larry Hamm, chair and a founder of the People’s Organization for Progress, has been beating the drum for an upcoming Black Agenda Rally on the radio. On WBAI Friday evenings, as well as Sunday mornings on WBLS and WLIB with Imhotep Gary Byrd and myself, Hamm has been persistent in getting the word out about this rally, set for Oct. 15 at 10 a.m.
Among the elected officials at the event, joining Rev. Al Sharpton, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver, will be a host of faith-based and political leaders, including Pastor Steffie Bartley, northeast regional director of the National Action Network; and John Harmon, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
On our recent show, Hamm emphasized the importance of the rally, especially in light of the upcoming midterm elections.
“We need to get out and vote like we did for Barack Obama in 2008,” he said. “This is one of the most consequential elections we’ve had in years, and we know that Trump is doing everything he can to steal this election.”
The list of invited guests is quite extensive and matches the urgency to alert the community of the need to register and to vote.
“The voting has already begun,” Hamm said. “Early ballots are being counted right now, so it is absolutely imperative for us to vote like our lives depended on it, and it certainly does.”
Others who have been invited include: Reverend Dr. Charles Boyer; Logan Township Mayor Frank W. Minor; Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson; Jacob Walthour, Blueprint Capital CEO; Pastor Pamela Jones; Ana Maria Hill, New Jersey state director and vice president of 32BJ SEIU; and Daryn Martin, secretary-treasurer of DISTRICT 1199J. National Action Network (NAN), National Urban League (NUL), NAACP, and People’s Organization for Progress are among the organizations invited.
