By AFRO Staff
Top civil rights leaders, national advocates, journalists, elected officials and other Black leaders have joined their voices to present a multi-platform, 24-hour town hall meant to engage the public in critical conversations that offer a true assessment of the American nation and prepare the Black community for the way forward.
Billed as the “State of the People,” the event was launched at 11:59 p.m. EST on March 3, led by Joy Reid in her first appearance since her exit from MSNBC. The marathon will coincide with the 47th president’s State of the Union address, a deliberate overlap meant to provide an alternative to what is expected to be a speech filled with empty rhetoric and falsehoods.
“The official State of the Union will be filled with empty promises and misinformation, but the State of the People is our answer—a 24-hour livestream elevating the voices that truly reflect our community’s needs,” said Angela Rye, one of the organizers of StateOfThePeople.media.
“It’s time for all of us to take a stand. Join us as we uplift the issues that matter, demand accountability for the harm caused and chart a path forward where we can thrive,” she added.
The public is invited to register at StateOfThePeople.media, where they can also watch until the event ends at 11:59 p.m. March 4.
The National Council of Negro Women is among the groups that will participate in the discussions. The group said it plans to sound the alarm on the state of emergency that is happening in this country.
“The State of the People will center the truth. Instead of letting disinformation go unchecked, we are creating a space where the people, their struggles and solutions founded on truth and action are demanded,” said the organization in a statement. “Each hour, leading voices will come together to counter the lies and demand accountability, charting a path forward with action items that are in our collective best interests.”
The following leaders are expected to be among the hosts:
Joy Reid, journalist; elected officials; Angela Rye, Native Land Pod; Andrew Gillum, Native Land Pod; Stacey Abrams, lawyer and former Georgia state representative; Ibram X. Kendi, author; Ben Crump, civil rights attorney; Jaime Harrison, former chair of the Democratic National Convention; Clay Cane and Reecie Colbert, news personalities; Monique Pressley, trial attorney and legal analyst; Tamika D. Mallory, activist and founder of Until Freedom; Janai Nelson, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Elie Mystal, journalist; Brittany Packnett Cunningham, activist and host of the podcast “Undistracted;” Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO for National Council of Negro Women; Quentin James, founder and president of The Collective; Stefanie Brown James, co-founder of Collective PAC; Maurice Mitchell, national director of Working Families; A’shanti Gholar, president of EMERGE America; Aisha Mills, public affairs strategest; Black Voters Matter Fund; Fatima Gross Graves, CEO of the National Women’s Law Center; Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and activist; Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church; Ashley Allison, founder of Watering Hole Media; Lauren Burke, media owner; Michael McBride, co-founder of Black Church PAC; Rev. Mark Thompson of BlackPressUSA.com, civil rights activist and host of “Make It Plain.”
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