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The NAACP is launching a series of nationwide town halls aimed at mobilizing Black voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, per CBS News.
On Tuesday (August 19), the NAACP kicked off its town hall series in New Jersey with appearances from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Rep. LaMonica McIver, and other local leaders. Both were charged following a protest outside a Newark ICE detention center in May.
The NAACP said the town halls will focus on the local impact of federal policies, while also boosting grassroots voter engagement through outreach, volunteer recruitment, and community organizing.
"It may still seem far away, but the 2026 midterm elections will determine whether our democracy still holds on or whether the people surrender their power to a king," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement. "So, from our perspective, as the NAACP, it's clear: we've got to start organizing early."
Johnson cited President Donald Trump's rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, aggressive immigration raids, and budget cuts to Medicaid and food assistance as "attacks on democracy."
"We've got to strengthen community, recruit volunteers, inform each other about Donald Trump's oppressive policies, and map out local strategies that will ensure everybody gets out to vote," he said. "Our neighbors are being illegally kidnapped by ICE, Trump's budget is taking away our healthcare and access to food stamps, and our civil rights are being stripped away at every turn—all while costs, from housing to groceries, continue to rise, and the billionaire class get richer."
The town halls come amid the contentious redistricting battle in Texas, where House Republicans approved a congressional map that's set to give the GOP five additional seats. The NAACP plans to hold forums in Texas, California, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, New York, and Maryland in the coming months.
"As we build toward the 2026 midterm election, our campaign will focus on connecting past liberation struggles to the urgent demands of the present," Wisdom Cole, NAACP's Senior National Director of Advocacy, said.
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