POP CHAIRMAN LAWRENCE HAMM CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING AND CHANGING SUPREME COURT IN RESPONSE TO VOTING RIGHTS CASE

(Statement by Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress on the U.S. Supreme Court decision concerning the Louisiana v. Callais voting rights case.)

This U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Louisiana v. Callais voting rights case is the latest salvo in President Trump’s racist war on Black people in this country. It must not go unanswered, and neither should there be a tepid response. There must be strong nationwide condemnation of this outrage. 

Prior to this most recent Supreme Court decision, at the urging of President Trump, Texas and other Republican controlled states started mid-decade redistricting of their congressional maps to increase the number of Republican members of the House of Representatives. 

Normally redistricting takes place at the end of a decade after the completion of the census. Trump and his Republicans sensing that they may lose their majority during the midterm elections have chosen to gerrymander congressional lines now in an attempt to insure the election of a Republican majority to the House. 

In response, a handful of Democratic controlled states like California have taken steps to redraw their congressional maps in order to increase the number of Democratic House members they are sending to Washington. 

This latest Supreme Court decision will intensify the struggle already in progress between the two major parties to acquire a majority of house seats during the midterm elections. The court ruling could result in the loss of as many as 16 Democratic congressional seats now held by African Americans.

There are 435 voting members of the House of Representative. It takes 218 to make a simple majority. Republicans currently control the house having 218 representatives. There are 213 Democrats in the House. 

African Americans hold 61 seats, with 59 voting members and two non-voting delegates. There are 57 Democrats and 4 Republicans. 

It is imperative to defeat the MAGA Republicans in the upcoming midterm congressional elections. Democrats must take back the majority in the house to stem the tide of regressive policies coming out of Congress. 

Democrats should not sit idly by and let Republicans steal the election by redrawing the congressional map to give themselves an election proof majority. Too much is at stake. Democrats must fight back. 

If Republicans can redraw their maps then Democratic controlled states should do the same. Democrats should redraw congressional maps in their states now in order to increase their numbers so that they can have a fighting chance of winning the midterm elections. 

The composition and structure of the Supreme Court must be changed. If we do not do this then the court will be an impediment to progress for the rest of our lives. Several bills have been introduced to reform the court which should be considered. 

Lifetime appointments to the court must end, term limits should be imposed, and the number of justices on the court should be expanded to 13 which equals the number of federal circuit courts of appeals. 

In addition to supporting mid-decade redistricting and restructuring the Supreme Court we must engage in massive voter registration, education and mobilization. This latest ruling came from right wing Supreme Court Justices who were appointed. They were appointed by Republican presidents who were elected. 

Midterm elections are being held this year for members of the House and Senate. We must vote in record numbers to elect Democratic majorities in both houses.

A Democratic majority in the Senate could take action to block Trump appointees to the court should any seats become vacant while he is still in office. With majorities in both houses impeachment proceedings could be initiated against Trump which could slow down and stifle judicial appointments. 

Along with voting we need nationwide protests to mobilize opposition against the appointment of additional right wing justices to the Supreme Court. Protests are a way of drawing attention to and educating people about the damage that this court has done with regards to people’s rights and the democratic process. 

In addition to demonstrations we should also consider engaging in various forms of civil disobedience. Since the court is taking away rights that were won through protest and civil disobedience then we should not be reluctant to employ those tactics to protect and restore those rights. 

We must also consider using boycotts, selective buying, divestment, strikes, and other economic sanctions to compel state governments, federal government, and the courts to stop interfering with, diluting, and attempting to eliminate our ability and right to vote. 

Last year the idea of a general strike gained national attention. General strikes have had degrees of success locally in Minneapolis, Chicago, and other cities. We should continue to discuss and push for a national general strike until we reach the levels of support needed to make it happen.  

We must support federal and state legislation to protect and restore voting rights. At the federal level we should continue to call for passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025. At the state level we demand passage of the John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey.

We must also oppose Trump’s Save Act which would place more restrictions on voting, and his efforts to end mail-in ballots. Same day voter registration legislation should be supported, as should legislation to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, and other bills aimed at getting big money out of elections and the judicial selection process. 

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

Congressional Black Caucus Statement on Sham DOJ Charges Against Southern Poverty Law Center

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:

“The Trump Administration’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center amounts to nothing more than a baseless political smear.

“For decades, the Southern Poverty Law Center has fought against white supremacy, hate, and extremism in our country, working tirelessly to protect vulnerable communities and defend the rule of law. Their work combating extremism and the Trump Administration’s ongoing threats to our multiracial democracy has unfortunately — but predictably — put them on the right wing’s hit list.

“Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is wielding the authority of the DOJ as an arm of President Trump’s retribution campaign to smear the SPLC, has disgraced our nation’s leading law enforcement agency. This sham indictment against the SPLC cannot be viewed in isolation. It is part of the Trump Administration’s continued weaponization of our justice system against civil society organizations, journalists, politicians, and other political opponents. This corruption of our nation’s law enforcement agencies is dangerous and unacceptable.

“The Congressional Black Caucus stands fully in support of the SPLC, which we are confident will overcome this baseless attack. We will not allow this Administration to succeed in its efforts to intimidate and silence those who speak out against hate. In due time, we will hold those responsible to account."

Chester Higgins: Shared Memories Exhibit

Chester Higgins: Shared Memories is a major retrospective at Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York, 529 W 20th St, New York, running April 16 – June 20, 2026. It is the gallery’s third exhibition of Higgins’s work and features over forty black-and-white and color photographs spanning nearly seven decades.

Across generations and continents, Higgins has undertaken a sustained visual reckoning with history, identity, and inheritance, creating a record that restores presence where it has been obscured and asserts dignity where it has been denied. His photographs stand as both witness and affirmation, reclaiming the cultural and spiritual depth of Black life within the broader narrative of modern history. Shared Memories gathers this lifelong commitment into a singular statement of continuity, collective memory, pride, and authority.

“I make my images to bear witness to our presence, to the real and widespread accomplishments of people of African descent,” Higgins has said. From the beginning of his career, photography has been for him an act of responsibility. “I love the work that I do using my camera to make love to my people and my community.” His subjects are not distant observers of history; they are participants in it. That closeness defines his practice.

Chester Higgins Jr. (born November 1946) is an American photographer who was a staff photographer with The New York Times for more than four decades, and whose work has notably featured the life and culture of people of African descent. His photographs have over the years appeared in magazines including Look, Life, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Ebony, Essence and Black Enterprise, and Higgins has also published several collections of his photography, among them Black Woman (1970), Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa (1994), Elder Grace: The Nobility of Aging (2000), Echo of the Spirit: A Photographer’s Journey (2004) Ancient Nubia: African Kingdoms on the Nile (2012).

Higgins’s work has been the subject of many international exhibitions, and is held in notable collections, such as The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, and The Brooklyn Museum of Art. Higgins lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Learn more about Chester Higgins: Shared Memories exhibit here: https://brucesilverstein.com/exhibitions/236-chester-higgins-shared-memories/overview/

PRESS CONFERENCE: LABOR UNIONS & COMMUNITY GROUPS WILL CALL FOR MAY DAY PROTESTS

A coalition of labor and community organizations will hold a press conference on Wednesday morning to call for protests to draw attention to the plight of working people in New Jersey and the rest of the country.

The press conference to discuss May Day protests in Newark and other parts of the state will take place Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 11:00am at Bethany Baptist Church, 275 West Market Street, Newark, NJ.

“The purpose of the press conference is to announce support for and urge participation in protests that will take place on May 1, 2026 which is also observed as May Day. These protests will demonstrate opposition to President Trump’s domestic and foreign policies that adversely affect working people,” Lawrence Hamm, chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated. 

The press conference is being hosted by the People’s Organization For Progress, Local 108 Retail Wholesale Department Store Union RWDSU UFCW AFL-CIO, the New Jersey AFL-CIO, Painters Union IUPAT DC 21, New Jersey Education Association, American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, 32BJ SEIU, Laborers’ International Union of North America Eastern Region, 1199J AFSCME, Essex West Hudson Labor Council, I.U.O.E  Local 68, ILA Local 1233, NAACP Newark, Food & Water Watch, Empower NJ, Climate Revolution Action Network, Ironbound Community Corporation and the Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance Planning Committee.

Speakers at the press conference will include representatives of the hosting organizations including Charles Hall, President, Local 108 Retail Wholesale Department Store Union RWDSU UFCW AFL-CIO, Steve Beatty, President, New Jersey Education Association, John Marino, IUPAT DC 21, Jennifer S. Higgins, President, American Federation of Teachers and Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress. Representatives of other labor and community groups are also expected to speak. 

On Friday, May 1st the coalition will have a May Day rally and march. The rally will start 11:00 am at the Lincoln Statue, 12 Springfield Avenue in Newark. A march to the federal building at 970 Broad Street after the rally is also planned.

“We are having this rally to draw attention to the economic needs of working people, poor people, and the middle class,” Hamm stated.

“May Day is an international observance. It is a day when workers around the world call for unity and raise their demands for a better life. We felt it was important to add our protest to those demanding economic justice for working people at home and abroad,” Hamm said.

“I will stand with my brothers and sisters to show that our Solidarity is stronger then ever on May Day ( International Workers Day ) This day is about Labor’s history, workers rights, safe work places and dignity,” Charles Hall, President, Local 108 Retail Wholesale Department Store Union, stated. 

“Given the difficulties of the world and yes right here in America, Labor must lead.  Working families and the middle class are under attack and the poor not even a part of the conversation. Labor Solidarity and building coalitions with groups that are being marginalized  is the way turn this situation around,” Hall said. 

“The attack on immigrants is wrong and Labor stands with those who are hard working and good  people.  The work of immigrants helps  keep our country moving. This May Day we will send a message of Solidarity and Resistance. 

An injury to one is an Injury to all,” he said

“Our nearly 200,000 members go to work every day determined to help their students learn, grow and thrive. When they also have to worry about whether they can afford food, housing and health care for their own families, it distracts from their critical mission,” NJEA President Steve Beatty stated. 

“We are proud to stand in strong solidarity with other unions and organizations that fight for workers’ rights. I’m a high school social studies teacher and a union president, so I know from both history and personal experience that when labor is strong and united we make America better for everyone,”Beatty said. 

“May Day is a great time to remind everyone what working people have done for this country and we can accomplish together when we truly live up to our motto of Solidarity Forever!” he said. 

“Workers are the backbone of this society.  Without them, America is crippled.  Workers deserve decent wages, medical benefits, vacation time and working conditions” Deborah Smith Gregory, President, NAACP Newark stated. 

Hamm noted that the press conference will not only call for participation in the protest that the coalition is having in Newark but will urge people to participate in all the May Day activities being held around the state.

“While the general call for May Day is for no work, no school, and no shopping it must be noted that there will be a wide variety of protests and other activities taking place at different times and places and focusing on different issues,” he said.

Some of the coalition’s May Day demands include increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15.00 per hour, passage of legislation to facilitate unionization, ending racial discrimination in hiring and promotions, equal pay for equal work.

Other demands include fair contracts, the establishment of a living wage in the U.S., paid sick leave, universal child care, Medicare For All, free college, elimination of student debt, and a national federal jobs program to eliminate unemployment.

In addition the coalition is demanding an end to the war in Iran, cutting military spending, restoration of the cuts in social programs, rehiring federal workers that have lost their jobs, rescinding tax cuts for billionaires, and increased federal funding for public education.

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

Statement from Attorney General Jay Jones on Misleading Mailers Targeting Black Voters

Attorney General Jay Jones released the following statement regarding deceptive mailers being sent to Black voters about Virginia’s redistricting referendum.

“As Virginia’s first Black Attorney General, I take very seriously the history that is being invoked in these mailers. Reports indicate that a group opposing the redistricting referendum has sent materials to Black voters that misuse imagery from the Civil Rights Movement and even invoke Jim Crow while falsely suggesting the measure threatens Black representation.

My parents and grandparents lived through the reality of Jim Crow in Virginia. They experienced firsthand what it meant when the law and the political system were used to silence Black voices. That history is not a political prop, and it should never be exploited in a misleading attempt to confuse voters.

Virginians deserve honest information about the choices before them. Invoking the pain and sacrifice of the civil rights movement while spreading misleading claims about this referendum disrespects the very people who fought to secure the right to vote and have their voices heard.”