Politics & Government

Newark Activists To Lead Million People’s March For Voting Rights

The march is scheduled for April 4, the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

A wave of social justice organizations are supporting a “Million People’s March” for voting rights that will take place in Newark on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
A wave of social justice organizations are supporting a “Million People’s March” for voting rights that will take place in Newark on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. (File Photo: Kaylah Sambo/Patch)

NEWARK, NJ — A wave of social justice organizations are supporting a “Million People’s March” for voting rights that will take place in Newark on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination.

The march is being spearheaded by the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), the group behind the massive protest that took place in Newark in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

According to the POP, the march will take place on Monday, April 4. It will begin at 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Monument located at 12 Springfield Avenue in Newark.

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Organizers released a statement about the upcoming march:

“Conceived out of grave concerns about the extensive efforts to suppress voting rights throughout the country, and more recently out of just as grave genuine concerns for world peace, organizers are calling for the march in the spirit of the epic March on Washington, the Million Man March and the organization’s own Million People’s March Against Police Brutality of 2015 – a march that drew thousands of participants from all over the northeastern seaboard and was called Newark’s largest protest march at the time.”

“In the spirit of Dr. King, we are marching for the protection and expansion of voting rights, racial and social equality, economic justice, the preservation and strengthening of democracy, and for peace at home and abroad,” POP chair and former U.S. Senate candidate Lawrence Hamm said.

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Organizers said 130 other groups have endorsed the April 4 march.

The POP will hold a virtual town hall event in advance of the march. It will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 27. To register, click here. The town hall will also be livestreamed on the POP Facebook page.

The April 4 rally comes on the heels of the POP’s “67 Miles March Against Police Brutality” in October 2021. Read More: New Jersey Activists March 67 Miles To Demand Police Reform

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