Newark Will Host 2022 National Black Political Convention: Video

NEWARK, NJ — The Third National Black Political Convention is coming to New Jersey’s largest city.

During a recent news conference at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), a gathering of elected officials and community leaders announced that the Newark-based university will host the 2022 convention, which is set for April 28 to May 1.

NJIT President Joel Bloom said the university is proud to host what is expected to be a “historic gathering.”

The purpose of the event is to bring together Black leaders, activists and community members to chart a common pathway forward on issues such as public policy, criminal justice, economic empowerment, mental/emotional wellness, religious and spiritual health, and the importance of the cultural arts. Learn more here.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Mayor Antar Lumumba of Jackson, Mississippi, and musician/activist James Mtume will serve as the national co-conveners of the gathering, which will take place on the 50th anniversary of the famed 1972 National Black Political Convention that was held in Gary, Indiana.

The co-conveners of that convention included Richard Hatcher, mayor of Gary, Congressman Charles Diggs of Detroit, Michigan, and writer and activist Amiri Baraka – the late father of Newark’s current mayor.

“I’m proud that the Third National Black Convention will be held in Newark,” Baraka said. “NJIT has been an incredible partner in moving our city forward, and will be home to this landmark meeting of minds and purpose.”

“If history has taught us anything, then we have learned that good things happen when we organize,” Baraka added. “That is what we want to tap into with this gathering in 2022.”

Baraka, Lumumba and Mtume offered a joint statement about the upcoming convention:

“There is a significant need for Black people to come together, to discuss our circumstances, and to create action steps to move our community-at-large forward. This would be similar to the historical traditions of The Niagara Falls Conference (1905); the Congress of Afrikan People (1970); The National Black Political Convention (1972); National Black Student Unity Congress (1986); and the Convention of the Oppressed (1993). It is quite possible that Amiri Baraka Sr.’s call-to-action, ‘Unity Without Uniformity,’ can be actualized, if a working unity is developed with a strong focus on points of commonality.”

News of the 2022 convention got a big thumbs-up from the Newark-based People’s Organization For Progress (POP), which has endorsed the gathering.

“The POP commends Mayor Baraka, Mayor Lumumba, and James Mtume for calling this convention,” said founder Lawrence Hamm, who was also the youngest elected delegate to the 1972 convention.

“We urge everyone who is concerned about the current condition and future development of Black Americans to attend and participate in this convention,” Hamm said. “Just as the Gary convention changed my life and deepened my involvement in the Black Liberation Movement during the 20th century, I hope that next year’s convention will do the same for others in this century.”

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