By Elijah Qualls
AFRO Intern
The State of the People National Assembly is coming to Baltimore to provide the framework for Black policy advocacy, impactful intergenerational leadership, and community empowerment. This National Assembly on June 19 will be the final stop of their State of the People POWER Tour.
It is no coincidence that this tour is culminating in their journey on Juneteenth. Just as our ancestors in Texas learned of their liberation on Juneteenth, this National Assembly will be a way for the Black community to learn how to pursue true freedom.
The Assembly will introduce new strategies to uplift Black Americans such as the Freedom Agenda 2025 and the Black Papers Project. Beyond that, the Juneteenth weekend will have plenty of workshops, panels and activities that explore Black mobilizing tactics such as the “Democracy in Practice” and “Power Building in Practice” breakout sessions. The three day event will conclude with dedicated time to community service in the Baltimore area.
“There’s a need for us to come together collectively to leverage our power across all spectrums to ensure that we have the foundation for what is going to be an eminent crisis within our community,” said Marilyn Mosby, former Baltimore City State’s Attorney. Mosby is a key organizer of the National Assembly as she sits on the Baltimore Host Committee alongside many others, such as the AFRO’s very own CEO and Publisher, Dr. Frances Murphy Draper.
The State of the People has traveled to various cities with large Black populations such as Atlanta, Detroit, and Los Angeles. In all of their 12 stops, the uplifting movement garnered significant popularity. The entire movement has been fueled by national coalitions of teachers, artists, and everyday community members. It takes a village, and the State of the People movement has something better, a unified mass.
The three day assembly will be hosted in Charm City at the Empowerment Temple AME Church. The pastor, Rev. Dr. Robert Turner said this about Black churches in powerful movements like this one.
“As we walk, God fights on our behalf,” said Turner. “It is important that as they’re trying to strip away and erase Black history, Black organizations and Black people unite to make sure that we tell our own story and uplift our people.”
As the event approaches, the host team who has worked endlessly and diligently to organize the event encourage all community members to come and partake in powerful fellowship.
Angela Rye, one of the key orchestrators of the entire State of the People POWER Tour, spoke with the AFRO about the movement. She described the tour as “an embodied love letter to our people to remind us that we have everything we need.”
“We might be all we’ve got,” she said, “But that’s sufficient.”