16-05-2025
A call to collective action as nation responds to presidential executive orders
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton NAACP president Gaylene Kanoyton and Virginia State University political scientist Dr. Wes Bellamy will speak near the site where slaves were auctioned in the 1800s as part of the multi-state and non-partisan this weekend.'What we're just trying to do is just activate folks, motivate people, get out and vote and do your part,' Kanoyton said.
Bellamy told 10 On Your Side the tour has met with audiences in Raleigh, Atlanta, Durham, Birmingham, Jackson, New Orleans, Detroit, Louisville and Newark. A future stop will include Los Angeles.
'This will be an effort for us to move our community forward, and this is the beginning,' Bellamy said. 'Everything won't be solved this weekend, but we will continue to move forward.'
'The State of the People Power Tour is a response to Project 2025,' Kanoyton said. 'It is an effort to motivate, educate, advocate and activate the base, the Black base. This is where you have national leaders, local leaders, grassroots leaders, all come together, and it's a listening session. It's also workshops to teach us how to motivate and move forward.'
As part of the Project 2025 agenda, President Donald Trump has tried to erase Congressional actions, court orders and part of the Constitution. This week, members of the Supreme Court fired back on the President's plan to end birthright citizenship.
The Latest: Supreme Court hears arguments in case over Trump's birthright citizenship order
'If I were in your shoes, there is no way I would approach the Supreme Court with this case,' said Justice Elena Kagan.
The State of the People Power Tour aims to amplify Black voices that are rooted in justice. Organizers say the tour will spotlight various leaders, from academics to artists, who will use multiple platforms to help shape public opinions.
'So everybody has an individual calling, and they have an individual purpose, and they have to go and do their part,' Bellamy said. 'So it's all about us empowering each other to work collectively, use our talents, our time, our treasures to be able to assist in empowering our communities. And we've seen in prior generations, sometimes when you have singular leadership, it's a little bit easier to take out.'
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