New Jersey Activists Honor John Lewis With Anti-Trump Protest

(Photos: People’s Organization For Progress) - On July 17th, social justice advocates convened at the Rodino Federal Building in Newark, New Jersey, for the Good Trouble Lives On March and Rally to denounce the harmful policies of the Trump administration while honoring civil rights leader John Lewis. This crucial event was organized by the People’s Organization For Progress alongside the Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance. Amidst sweltering 93-degree weather, Lawrence Hamm, the organization’s Chairman, initiated the rally, emphasizing the need to foster “good trouble” like Congressman Lewis did. He called out the Trump administration for attempting to undermine the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement. The gathering featured inspiring speeches from various leaders, including those from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Garden State Equality, and labor representatives. The protest transitioned into a “sit-in” on Broad Street, where Robyn Spencer read Lewis’s unedited speech from the 1963 March on Washington, highlighting its relevance today. The event concluded with a march to the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King and a rousing rendition of the civil rights anthem “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around.”