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Last week, the State of the People Power Tour touched down in Los Angeles and Pasadena — and let me tell you, the energy was undeniable. From Black LA’s heartbeat to Pasadena’s healing call, it wasn’t just an event — it was a movement in motion. Hosted across two days — June 6 at SEED School of LA and June 7 at Pasadena City College — the tour brought together cultural workers, policy thinkers, and some of LA’s strongest community leaders and organizers, including Inglewood’s own Derek Steele, Executive Director of the Social Justice Learning Institute, who emceed the event. Everyday people showed up, and the message was clear: the people are the power.
Friday kicked off with drumming, libation, youth performance, and an invocation that set the tone: this was about showing up whole. The plenary, “The State of Black America – 100 Days Under the Trump Administration,” brought heavy-hitting national voices that included former Vice President Kamala Harris, Benjamin Crump, Joi Reid, Tiffany Cross, and Angela Rye, to name a few. And Harris didn’t just show up — she lit the match. “What we are witnessing from this administration is an administration that is pursuing a narrow, self-serving vision of America. We also have a vision for America. And that is the vision that brings us together today… a vision of America that understands the power of the people — that understands the power of the people to dictate their own future and not be told what they must accept. A vision of the future which understands we wait to be given nothing. We take what we need.”
That energy carried the entire weekend. Friday kicked off with drumming, libation and an invocation that set the tone: this was about showing up ready to roll up your sleeves. We then broke out into hands-on sessions that felt more like strategy circles than lectures:
•Violence Prevention and Community Safety (LIVE FREE USA)
•Black Voter Mobilization (Woke Vote) •Black Women’s Political Power (Black Women’s Leadership Collective)
•Immigrant Justice & Anti-Criminalization (BAJI)
•Don’t Get Got- AI and Misinformation (Onyx Impact)
The night ended on the rooftop of SEED LA, with great food, music, and live performances. Day 2 kept that same energy, still powerful, but more intentional. Held at Pasadena City College, the day opened with a land acknowledgment, breakfast, and the “Dena Strong” plenary — centering wildfire survivors and the work of recovery. The breakout sessions offered deep dive solutions:
•How to navigate rebuilding and insurance
•Managing one-time financial relief
•Youth-led advocacy for long-term change •And space for grief, healing, and storytelling
Being at SEED LA reminded me that movements are solidified in spaces like these. It’s not always about mass gatherings and national headlines. Yes, there were high-profile names on the mic — but the power was just as strong in the breakouts, on the rooftop, and in the unrecorded conversations between kinfolk who showed up in love and commitment to our folks.
The State of the People Tour wraps June 21 in Baltimore, Maryland, but its impact is designed to echo far beyond any one city. One of the tour’s major contributions is the creation of the Black Papers — a living collection of policy briefs, organizing strategies, and cultural mandates created by and for Black communities. They cover everything from housing justice to AI, education to reparations, and are meant to serve as a blueprint for liberation grounded in community wisdom and Black political power.
You can read the Black Papers and stay tapped into the movement at stateoftheppl.com/blackpapers
