Lawrence Hamm has led the Newark-based People’s Organization for Progress since founding the civil rights group in 1982. POP, as it’s known, has worked alongside hundreds of organizations to advance the principles that defined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quest for racial equality, economic justice and peace.
For POP, coalition-building is not merely a tactic—it is its governing philosophy.
Through marches, conventions, legislative advocacy, and year-round political education, the organization has helped forge a unified progressive movement in New Jersey, demonstrating that the power to confront injustice is strongest when organizations act together rather than alone.
Rev. Dr. Forrest Pritchett, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Program at Seton Hall University, noted that Hamm had “spoke out, acted out and organized around the challenges in his community” since he was a teenager.
Hamm sat down with Mosaic for an end-of-year discussion of the organization’s efforts this year and what’s ahead for 2026.
Q: Can you give us a brief background on the People’s Organization for Progress — your mission, what POP is about?
A: The People’s Organization for Progress was established to work for racial, social, and economic justice and peace. It was founded by a group of young people — most of whom were high school activists — who went on to college and continued their activism on campus. Many were involved in the anti-apartheid movement of the 1970s and ’80s, a struggle that stretched from the 1960s through the early 1990s and culminated in Nelson Mandela’s release in February 1990.
When these activists finished college and moved into adult life they still wanted to remain politically engaged. POP emerged from the desire to build an organization that would be more energetic, more forthright, and stronger on the issues than those that already existed.
Q: The People’s Organization for Progress is known for its iconic signage. How did that come about and what was your first sign?
A: The most worn banner is ‘Stop Police Brutality,’ likely because it was the first.
Professional banners were created primarily for visibility. Handmade signs are often unreadable from a distance, especially to people passing by in cars.
Early media coverage also posed a challenge, as photographs frequently failed to capture the messages on handmade signs, sometimes making them appear blank.
Consistency of messaging was another concern. Individually made signs, while well-intentioned, often sent mixed messages that did not clearly reflect POP’s stated purpose.
To address this, the organization worked with a local Essex County sign maker to create banners that were large, lightweight, durable and reusable. After experimenting with heavy plywood signs that no one could carry, POP adopted signs made of a corrugated plastic material. Its durability and readability helped make POP’s banners a recognizable and defining feature of the organization.
Q: There’s a perception that POP just marches around Newark. What do you say to that?
A: We don’t just march around Newark. Yes, we’re often in Newark because the federal building is there and many of the issues we deal with are federal issues. We march in Trenton, because that’s the state capital. We march in Washington, D.C., because that’s where the federal government is.
And yes, we protest. We protest a lot. But I don’t think we protest enough — not just POP, but society in general.
When I say protest, I mean dissent in the broadest sense: demonstrations, letter writing, calling elected officials, attending government meetings, testifying before legislative committees, boycotts. POP has taken people to Assembly and Senate committee hearings in Trenton. We’ve testified on reparations including when Congressman John Conyers held hearings on HR 40.
Q: Beyond marches and rallies, what does POP do that people might not know about?
A: We do year-round voter registration through the POP Empowerment Team. Voter registration is a form of political empowerment. It’s not the only one, but it’s essential. From March through October, we do voter registration every weekend. In winter months, we do it indoors at events we sponsor or participate in.
We also conduct teachings, forums, and educational programs year-round — community education, civic education, political education.
POP also brings historical figures and experts to the community. We’ve brought Claudette Colvin to Newark at least three times. She was arrested before Rosa Parks.
We’ve brought Sarah Collins Rudolph, sister of Deborah McNair, one of the four girls killed in the Birmingham church bombing. Sarah was blinded in that bombing and later regained sight in one eye.
We’ve brought historians, experts, and witnesses to history. Education is central to our work.
Q: What were the major actions or priorities in 2025?
A: Police brutality is always a central issue. That’s what transformed POP into more of a street organization in its early years.
A major focus this year was the demand for a civilian police review board with subpoena power. Without subpoena power, a review board is toothless — it can’t compel testimony or documents.
Another major focus was the defense of democracy. We organized three significant demonstrations: the first “No Kings” protest on June 14, aimed at challenging authoritarianism; the “Good Trouble Lives On” march on July 17, in honor of John Lewis, to highlight voting rights; and the second “No Kings” protest on Oct. 18, advocating for more democratic governance.
These actions were responses to attacks on democratic institutions.
Q: Which accomplishments stand out for POP in the past year?
A: Our participation in the New Jersey Reparations Council, which was formed in 2023 to make the case for reparations for Black people, was significant. The final document produced by that council will be a major reference for decades. We’re continuing to fight for reparations legislation at both the state and federal levels.
This year marked the first time in POP’s history that 300 organizations endorsed a single event — the Martin Luther King March for Resistance.
We also held the Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance on April 26, which was endorsed by 207 organizations. From that event, we produced a 60-plus-page agenda with 27 resolutions.
Coalition-building has always been central to our strategy, but this year exemplified it more than ever.
Q: What will POP focus on in 2026?
A: We’ll begin with the Martin Luther King March of Resistance on Jan. 19 in Newark. There will be another People’s Convention in April focused on an agenda for justice. We’re also working toward a Million People’s March in October 2026 in New Jersey.
The Amistad Act — legislated the inclusion of Black history in curriculums throughout the state — is law, but it’s still not fully implemented. That remains a priority.
Legislative priorities include a state reparations task force bill; a civilian review board with subpoena power; same-day voter registration; and we’ll also focus heavily on education and mobilization for the 2026 midterm elections.
