ON ANNIVERSARY OF 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT FORUM ON VOTING RIGHTS ASSAULT WILL BE HELD IN HACKENSACK

“The Attack On Voting Rights And The War On Black People,” will be the subject of a panel discussion that will be held on Thursday, August 6, 2026, 7:00pm at The Logan Family Life Center, 274 Central Avenue in Hackensack, 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.

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6th of that year. This year will mark the 61st anniversary of the enactment of that law,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.

“We chose to have the forum on this date because of the historical significance and relevance. It is fitting that we should have a forum on the anniversary of this law to assess the current state of voting rights for black people in the United States,” Hamm said.

Speakers at the forum will include Rev Dr John Page, Pastor, Mt Olive Baptist Church, NJ State Senator Benjie Wimberly, Dr Suzanne Mullings, President, Bergen County Black Caucus, and Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress.

Rev. Dr Allen Simmons will serve as program moderator.

The forum in Hackensack is the fifth of a series on this topic. Other programs were held at St Paul’s Baptist Church in Montclair, the public library in Plainfield, St James AME Church in Newark, and the public library in Maplewood.

The next forum is scheduled for September 11th at New Hope Baptist Church in East Orange.

POP decided to have this forum series after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in the Louisiana v. Callais case several months ago which eviscerated and effectively killed the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The court’s decision enables racist state legislatures to redraw their congressional districts and eliminate those which have large black populations. This could result in the loss of as many as 19 congressional seats now held by African Americans.

“Our voting rights have been under severe assault. We are having this forum to convey the urgency of crisis and to send the message that it is time for us to fight back,” he said.

“The Trump administration, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the MAGA Republicans in Congress have launched a full frontal attack on voting rights in order to impact the outcome of the midterm elections,” he said.

The impact of these policies, decisions, and legislation on voting rights will be discussed at the forum.

Besides the assault on voting rights Hamm cited other areas where Black people are under attack.

“Black people continue to experience the highest rates of racist violence. Black Americans experience the highest rate of police brutality and fatal shootings by police. Black people are three times more likely to be killed by police than whites.

“Black student enrollment at colleges and universities continues to decline due to the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action in higher education.

“Since the beginning of Trump’s second term Black unemployment has doubled with more than 600,000 Black people losing their jobs, including 350,000 Black women, due to a sagging economy, federal budget cuts, and the ending of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs,” he said.

Hamm said the racial wealth gap continues to widen between blacks and whites. White families now have six times the wealth of black families. The median net worth of white families is about $285,000 compared to $44,900 for Black families.

In terms of health outcomes life expectancy of Black Americans is shorter than that of whites. The rate of black infant mortality is double the rate for whites. Black maternal mortality is more than three times the rate for whites.

“Our history and our culture are under attack. Black history is being eliminated in public schools or being re-written to fit a racist and white supremacist narrative. In some states teachers have been fired for defying the ban on teaching black history,” Hamm said.

“Scores of books about Black people and other people of color have been banned. Black Studies departments, programs, and courses are being eliminated or downsized at colleges and universities, and Black faculty and staff have been laid off,” he said.

For more information please call People’s Organization for Progress at 973 801-0001.