Fifty years since the first National Black Political Convention (also known as the Gary Convention) took place in Gary, Indiana, Newark middle and high school students are participating in a commemorative Model Gary Student Convention in Newark. Organizers say the behind-the-scenes work of students to develop position papers on topics including education, health, economics, and politics honor the original convention's goal of convening Black Americans to discuss and advance solutions to promote equity and confront the pressing societal injustices of our times. Participation in the model conventions, organizers hope, will impress upon students that they have the power to advocate for themselves and their communities right now.

As part of a social equity conversation presented by the Black Cannabis Equity Initiative (BCEI), New Jersey activists, cannabis lawyers and cannabis dispensary owners discussed the need for the state to invest in financial resources, technical assistance and employment and mentorship programs for people of color who want a stake in the cannabis business.

An overwhelming majority of low-and-moderate income families in New Jersey are losing out on critical tax benefits, unaware that they could benefit from filing or overwhelmed by the tax system, especially when finding affordable and reliable tax preparers appears nearly impossible.

During the financial crisis of 2008, Dauna Thompson was living paycheck to paycheck as a single mother in Montclair, taking on temp jobs to make ends meet. So, paying someone to do her taxes wasn't an option. "I had to find something free. I needed every penny," Thompson said

Last October, New Jersey home bakers rejoiced when the state became the last in the country to enact cottage food regulations. These rules, set forth by the Department of Health, allow bakers and other non-TCS food producers to apply for a permit for the direct sale of their goods, with a gross income up to $50,000. Since then, nearly 500 Cottage Food Operator Permits have been issued to residents throughout the state. Others haven’t been so lucky. The reason why lies at their own town halls.

Steve Bernhaut grew up in a conservative Jewish home that nurtured a worldview centered on the holocaust. As a young man navigating his way to a more just world, Bernhaut was inspired by the work of Ploughshares in the anti-nuclear movement and Jonah House on their grounding in non-violence.

In the run-up to the 2022 municipal elections, we are looking at voter turnout and "getting the vote out" efforts in Newark. Check here for our latest reporting on the candidates and issues that play a role as voters prepare to elect the city's next mayor and all nine seats on the city council on May 10, 2022.

Who’s on the ballot?

When Tyrone Lockett heard the story of Eleanor Bumpurs, he laced his shoes and took to the streets in protest.

Bumpurs, a 66-year old public housing tenant in The Bronx, faced eviction from her apartment for withholding rent. She refused to pay and maintained that the New York City Housing Authority failed to complete her repair requests. But on Oct. 29, 1984, after she screamed from inside her apartment at city marshalls trying to serve her an eviction notice, NYCHA responded by calling on the police to remove Bumpers from her home.

EAST ORANGE, NJ—Ingrid Hill grew up at a time of severe systemic injustice. It was the 1960s, and the world was turning upside down.

As a teenager, she was part of a "collective," surrounded by community elders, family members, and friends who were all committed to each other and making a better world for all.

NEWARK,NJ—“We who believe in freedom cannot rest,” go the lyrics of “Ella’s Song.” A popular tribute by the women troupe Sweet Honey in the Rock, the song honors the words and spirit of trailblazing civil rights activist Ella Baker. To speak with Larry Hamm, Chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress (P.O.P), is to hear how her words and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement endure in today’s struggle for voting rights.

On January 10, 2022, legislation was passed by both the state Assembly and Senate to codify Cottage Food production regulations set forth by an administrative rule change that went into effect in October 2021. This was a culmination of efforts by food freedom proponents throughout New Jersey—work that took more than a decade— to see the state end its holdout as the last with a ban on the sale of homemade foods.

Fifty-seven years ago Martin Luther King's campaign for voting rights began, and his work still resonates in communities across this country - a new century but an old fight that is yet to be settled. Last weekend, in freezing temperatures here in New Jersey, members of the People's Organization for Progress (POP), elected officials and many Newark area residents, gathered for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. march to remember and affirm the struggle for racial justice, with an acute lens on voting rights, and issue that was at the forefront of King’s activism.

The 2021 elections mark the first time New Jersey residents can participate in early in-person voting in state history. Between Saturday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 31, registered New Jersey voters could cast their ballots in person and ahead of Election Day on Tuesday. Nov. 2. Here in Newark, voters will have a say in the gubernatorial race between Gov. Phil Murphy and Jack Ciattarelli and in local elections, including those for Essex County sheriff and to fill Senate and Assembly seats in the 28th and 29th districts of the state legislature.