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.

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.