Building Black Political Power: The Movement Taking America by Storm

The History Behind The Headlines

By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

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A Movement Rooted in Urgency and Hope

A new political force sweeps across America, answering the critical question facing Black communities in 2025: how do we build power that lasts? The State of the People POWER Tour represents the most significant Black political organizing effort since the Million Man March of 1995, mobilizing thousands across twelve major cities to address systemic inequities and combat the erosion of civil rights gains (Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights). Moreover, the movement comes at a pivotal moment when Black communities face unprecedented attacks on diversity initiatives, voting rights, and historical recognition.

From Atlanta to Los Angeles, Detroit to Baltimore, the tour brings together activists, policy experts, and community members to forge a unified Black agenda. Political strategist Angela Rye, who leads the initiative alongside prominent civil rights leaders, emphasizes the movement builds an organization designed to endure beyond election cycles (Axios). The tour launched in April 2025 with a two-day series of events in Atlanta, eventually culminating in a National Assembly on Juneteenth in Baltimore (San Diego Voice & Viewpoint).

This organizing strategy differs fundamentally from past efforts. Instead of focusing solely on voter registration, the movement provides comprehensive support including food distribution, healing spaces, housing assistance, and record expungement services (Word In Black). Additionally, organizers release policy papers addressing key issues such as economic justice, education equity, healthcare access, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, and voting rights (San Diego Voice & Viewpoint).

The Political Climate Demanding Action

The timing of this movement reflects an urgent response to systemic threats facing Black America. Since early 2025, the Trump administration has systematically dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across federal agencies through Executive Order 14151 (Senate Press Release). Furthermore, efforts to defund and censor Black history institutions have accelerated, with the National Museum of African American History and Culture facing scrutiny for what the administration calls “divisive narratives” (New York Times).

Economic indicators paint a stark picture of inequality. The median income for Black households stands at $56,490 compared to $84,630 for white households, representing a 33.3 percent gap that has actually widened since 2022 (Washington Informer). Black Americans hold only $5.39 trillion, just 3.4 percent of the country’s total wealth, while white Americans control $134.58 trillion, or 84.2 percent (Washington Informer). As of July 2025, Black unemployment stands at 7.2 percent compared to 3.7 percent for white workers (Inequality.org).

The political landscape presents additional challenges. Black voter turnout, which peaked at 66.6 percent in 2012, has declined to approximately 57.6 percent by 2024 (Good Authority). The Black-white turnout gap now stands at negative 16 percentage points when accounting for validated voter data, similar to levels seen in the 1980s and 1990s (Good Authority). Nevertheless, these statistics underscore the urgency of renewed organizing efforts.

Proposed legislation threatens to suppress Black voting power further. The SAVE Act, which passed the House in April 2025, would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, creating barriers for millions of eligible voters who lack passports or birth certificates (Nonprofit VOTE). Target populations include voters of color, naturalized citizens, young and older voters, members of the armed forces, and individuals with low incomes (California Secretary of State).

Learning from Past Movements: What Makes This Different

History provides critical lessons about building sustainable Black political power. The 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, represented a watershed moment when approximately 10,000 African Americans gathered to establish a unified political agenda (Wikipedia). The convention brought together Republicans, Democrats, nationalists, Socialists, and independents under the leadership of Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher, U.S. Representative Charles Diggs, and poet Imamu Baraka (Indiana Historical Society).

The Gary Convention produced the Gary Declaration, which boldly stated that the American political system was failing Black Americans. However, the movement ultimately fragmented due to internal conflicts between integrationists and separatists (Britannica). The Congressional Black Caucus essentially repudiated the official statements that emerged from the meeting, and instead of producing lasting agreement, the convention brought existing conflicts among Black leaders into sharper relief (Britannica).

The Million Man March of October 16, 1995, organized by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, drew between 400,000 and over 2 million African American men to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (EBSCO). The march emphasized themes of accountability, responsibility, and self-sufficiency, with speakers including Kweisi Mfume, Jesse Jackson, Bill Cosby, and Cornel West (EBSCO). Consequently, thousands of African American men registered to vote following the march, and membership in organizations such as the NAACP and Southern Christian Leadership Conference grew significantly (EBSCO).

Both movements, however, faded relatively quickly. Angela Rye explicitly studied these past efforts to understand why agendas faded and how to build something that lasts (Axios). She told Axios, “We keep doing this, but this time, we are not letting it die on the table” (Axios).

The State of the People POWER Tour learns from these historical failures by implementing several key strategies. First, the movement goes beyond transactional electoral engagement to address immediate survival needs while building long-term infrastructure (Axios). Second, each tour stop features two full days of community care, political education, resource sharing, and cultural celebration (State of the People). Third, organizers developed over 20 comprehensive policy papers created by more than 100 Black experts, offering concrete solutions to challenges facing Black communities (Axios).

Community-Driven Solutions Address Systemic Challenges

The State of the People POWER Tour distinguishes itself through an emphasis on community-driven policy solutions rather than top-down mandates. Each city stop included town halls that created space for honest dialogue, shared concerns, and community-led solutions (State of the People). These gatherings elevated local leaders and community members as the drivers of the movement rather than treating them as passive recipients of political messaging (State of the People).

David Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, explained that the goal is to unite various coalitions fighting against the current administration’s agenda (Axios). This means more than voter registration; it means helping expunge records, feeding families, and activating a new kind of civic participation grounded in addressing daily crises (Axios).

At the heart of the tour lies the Black Papers Policy Project, a series of comprehensive policy papers developed through collaborative processes (Axios). These papers range from national security to a Black economic vision, Black health equity, charting pathways in Black education, and supporting Black veterans (Axios). The policy agenda offers over 125 specific recommendations for policymakers across health equity, care, access, social justice, safety, and equity (In Our Own Voice).

NAACP President Derrick Johnson emphasized that political outcomes result from community building, and sometimes people conflate political transactions with movement work (Axios). He praised the tour’s focus on hyperlocal needs and emphasized that engagement does not always look the same for everyone (Axios). Not everyone will be at a picket line, but they may be losing benefits or unsure why policy changes hurt them; the beauty of this tour is that it helps connect those dots and those people (Axios).

Combating Misinformation in Black Communities

A critical component of the State of the People POWER Tour addresses the epidemic of misinformation and disinformation targeting Black communities. Research reveals that as many as 40 million Americans could be exposed to misinformation in Black online communities, significantly impacting discussions around elections (NBC News). The Onyx Impact report identifies six core areas representing the most significant drivers of false and misleading narratives for millions of Black Americans (NBC News).

Disinformation serves two primary purposes: first, to engage stock narratives informed by anti-Black racism and xenophobia to dehumanize certain populations as unworthy members of the polity; second, to sow divisions within the Black community by painting immigrants as taking resources from Black Americans, ultimately undermining Black political power (Harvard Law Review). Historical evidence shows widespread racist propaganda has been used to depict Black people as less than human, deepen false narratives about the Black community, and foster hate, extremism, and bigotry (Harvard Law Review).

Community leaders identify several factors that make combating misinformation challenging. Efforts must include multilingual options to help people find and navigate trusted sources of information in their native languages (Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review). Misinformation education initiatives must account for diverse media ecologies, including diasporic social media communities, ethnic print and broadcast media, and messaging platforms popular among certain communities of color (Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review).

Approaches to reducing trust in misinformation while building trust in credible information must acknowledge reasons for institutional distrust in historically marginalized communities (Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review). The State of the People movement addresses this challenge by creating spaces where Black people can show up as their whole selves, building trust through authentic community engagement rather than transactional political outreach (Sojourn Strategies).

Building Lasting Infrastructure for Political Power

What distinguishes the State of the People POWER Tour from previous movements is its explicit focus on creating lasting infrastructure. The tour supported by over 200 local and national partners, including Black Voters Matter, Color of Change, and the NAACP (Axios). It grew from a March convening where organizers began shaping a modern Black agenda rooted in self-determination and long-term infrastructure (Axios).

Research on building Black political power emphasizes that success requires more than electing Black people to office or having Black people at decision-making tables (Black 2 the Future). True power means building the ability to determine circumstances, shape narratives about Black identity, determine where resources are distributed, define what is right and wrong, and mobilize consequences when political agendas are challenged (Black 2 the Future).

The movement created the concept of a “Black political home” where all Black people can participate authentically. Focus group respondents described the need for a space where Black people can show up as their whole selves, with love, understanding, and investment in each other (Sojourn Strategies). Core qualities of this political home include being rigorous, generous, inclusive of all Black people, ensuring marginalized communities have equal power, and maintaining an abolitionist and anti-capitalist clear left politic (Sojourn Strategies).

The tour also established delegate selection processes similar to the 1972 Gary Convention, with plans to select two delegates per state to represent their communities at future national assemblies (State of the People). These delegates will be required to represent not their own personal views or those of their organizations but the needs and aspirations of Black people in their state as determined in town hall meetings (SRDC International).

Why This Movement Matters Today

The State of the People POWER Tour arrives at a critical juncture in American history. The systematic dismantling of DEI programs, attacks on Black history, threats to voting rights, and widening economic disparities create an environment where organized resistance becomes essential for survival. Youth activist Jalyn Powell emphasized that many people focus on ways society is going back to being enslaved in various ways versus seeing the ways people have underground railroads like Harriet Tubman had (Word In Black).

The movement’s comprehensive approach addresses multiple dimensions of Black political power simultaneously. By combining immediate relief through mutual aid, long-term policy development through the Black Papers, ongoing organizing through local partnerships, and authentic community engagement through cultural celebration, the tour creates multiple entry points for participation (Runway Family).

Reverend Mark Thompson, a veteran political activist and senior adviser at the Institute for Politics, Policy and History, noted that there are so many aspects to the liberation struggle; if everyone picked up one baton in that struggle, there would still be a million more, so there is enough to go around (Word In Black). This perspective reflects the tour’s recognition that sustainable movements require diverse forms of participation beyond traditional activism.

The tour culminated in a three-day National Assembly in Baltimore on Juneteenth 2025, bringing together Black leaders, organizations, and activists to discuss pressing issues and finalize a national Black agenda (Afro). Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott addressed the crowd, emphasizing the city’s progress in reducing violence, reversing population decline, and reinvesting in historically marginalized neighborhoods (Afro). He stated, “By investing in those neighborhoods, by building housing, by investing and building and renovating more new schools than any urban district in the country over these last 10 years, this work is not always popular, but it is the right thing to do” (Afro).

The Road Ahead: From Organizing to Sustained Power

As the State of the People POWER Tour moves beyond its initial phase, organizers focus on sustaining momentum and translating energy into concrete political gains. The movement recently launched Marathon 2.0, a rapid-response campaign to stop harmful legislation moving through Congress (State of the People). This ongoing work demonstrates the movement’s commitment to staying engaged beyond the tour’s conclusion.

Looking forward, success will be measured not just by voter registration numbers or elected officials but by the movement’s ability to shift structural power dynamics. Research on Black political power building emphasizes that electoral engagement must be combined with broader strategies of organizing, policy advocacy, and community development (Sojourn Strategies). Black Voters Matter Co-Founder LaTosha Brown stated at a recent event, “Voting is one tool used to transform our country, but voting alone is not going to liberate our people” (Sojourn Strategies).

The State of the People movement recognizes this reality by building what Angela Rye calls “an organization by and for the people that lasts” (Axios). The infrastructure established through the tour, including local partnerships, policy frameworks, delegate networks, and communication platforms provides the foundation for sustained organizing. The question remains whether this iteration of Black political organizing will succeed where previous movements fell short, but the comprehensive approach and explicit focus on sustainability offer reasons for cautious optimism.

The challenges facing Black communities remain immense. Economic inequality continues to widen, voting rights face unprecedented threats, and systematic efforts to erase Black history accelerate. However, the State of the People POWER Tour demonstrates that Black communities refuse to accept these conditions passively. Through community-driven solutions, comprehensive policy development, authentic engagement, and sustained organizing, this movement builds the political power necessary to fight for liberation.

History teaches that meaningful change requires more than moments of mobilization; it demands sustained commitment to building power from the grassroots up. The State of the People POWER Tour represents the latest chapter in the long struggle for Black political power, armed with lessons from past movements and a determination to build infrastructure that endures. Whether this movement succeeds in creating lasting change will depend on continued engagement, resource investment, and the willingness of Black communities nationwide to stay organized beyond election cycles. The work continues because, as organizers emphasize, the people were built for this moment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darius Spearman has been a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College since 2007. He is the author of several books, including Between The Color Lines: A History of African Americans on the California Frontier Through 1890. You can visit Darius online at africanelements.org.