By Jessica Mazzola
NEWARK — The state’s largest city is in the midst of hosting a conference dedicated to civil rights activist Amiri Baraka and focused on influencing discussions on the future of black Americans.
The fourth State of the Black World Conference runs through Sunday at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark. The five-day conference is set to address issues facing black communities across the country, organizers say on the event’s website.
“The goal is…to address the critical need to heal and repair Black families, communities and nations from the centuries, generations and ongoing damages inflicted by enslavement, colonialism, segregation, discrimination, racial violence, repression, oppression, (and) exploitation,” Institute of the Black World 21st Century Chairman Rick Adams said on the event’s website.
Mayor: Newark will stand by undocumented residents
Mayor: Newark will stand by undocumented residents
Mayor Ras Baraka said the election of Donald Trump, who has had firm stances on immigration, will not change the city’s policies.
This year’s conference is scheduled to include dozens of speakers, ranging from actor Danny Glover to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. The event is dedicated to the memory of Baraka’s father, Amiri, a poet and civil rights activist who died in 2014.
“The aftermath of Trump’s election should be a time for activists to come together to intensify our struggle for economic and racial justice for all Americans,” Baraka said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. Baraka was scheduled for a talk Thursday night and a speech at a session honoring his dad set for Friday.
“It is fitting that Newark, with our history of activism, was chosen as the location and that the event is dedicated to my father’s leadership in the movement to liberate all oppressed peoples.”
Since the election earlier this month, Baraka, a Democrat, has been vocal about his opposition to some of the potential policies of Republican President-elect Trump. Earlier this week, he said Newark would remain a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants, despite potentially new federal immigration policies.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
