"State of the People Tour" seeks to energize Black communities

The big picture: A former Congressional Black Caucus adviser and co-host of Native Land Pod, Rye studied past efforts like the 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana and The Million Man March — not just for inspiration, but to understand why so many agendas faded, and how to build something that lasts.

• "We keep doing this… but this time, we're not letting it die on the table."

The effort kicked off in metro Atlanta in late April and has made stops in Birmingham, Durham, Raleigh, and New Orleans — cities where Black communities face political pressure and economic precarity.

• Upcoming stops include Richmond on Friday and Saturday, Detroit (May 21-22), Jackson (May 30-31), Louisville (June 2-3) and Los Angeles (June 6-7).
• David J. Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Collective (NBJC), one of the tour's leaders, tells Axios that the goal is to unite various coalitions fighting against President Trump's agenda.
• "The goal is to really tap into that, to affirm for our folks that they're not crazy, that democracy has to be defended with each generation."

Context: The tour comes at a time when the political climate is increasingly hostile — diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs are gutted, book bans spread, and federal relief dries up — while many working families are still unable to meet basic needs.

• Organizers say these overlapping crises demand more than conversation.
• "People want to be seen, supported and safe," she said. "If we don't build that together, who will?"

Case in point: In New Orleans, Rye says a young mother broke down at the registration table. She worked two jobs but still couldn't afford her electric bill — and showed up hoping the tour could help.

• "We're not just telling folks to vote while they starve," Rye told Axios. "We're helping with bills, jumping cars, and asking why full-time workers still can't keep the lights on."

Zoom in: The seeds of this effort sprouted weeks after a 24-hour livestream driven on social media, but discussions that followed showed Rye the community needed something more: a fusion of crisis response and movement infrastructure — what Rye calls "holistic care."

• "We're not slicing up a pie here — we're planting a garden," said Wes Bellamy, political science chair at Virginia State University, who helped organize and bring the tour to Richmond. "We want to grow something that feeds people now and teaches them how to grow for themselves going forward."

That means more than voter registration. It means helping expunge records, feeding families, and activating a new kind of civic participation — one grounded in people's daily crises.

The intrigue: At the heart of the tour is the Black Papers Policy Project, a series of over 20 comprehensive policy papers developed by more than 100 Black experts, offering solutions to the challenges facing Black communities.

• Johns said those papers range from national security, a Black economic vision, Black health equity, to charting pathways and opportunities in Black education and supporting Black veterans.

Zoom out: The tour is supported by over 200 local and national partners, including Black Voters Matter, Color of Change, and the NAACP. It grew from a March convening where organizers began shaping a modern Black agenda rooted in self-determination and long-term infrastructure.

• "Political outcomes are the result of community building," NAACP President Derrick Johnson told Axios. "And sometimes we conflate political transactions with movement work."

Johnson praised the tour's focus on hyperlocal needs and emphasized that engagement doesn't always look the same.

• "Not everyone is going to be at a picket line," Johnson said. "But they may be losing benefits or unsure why policy changes are hurting them. The beauty of this tour is that it helps connect those dots — and those people."

Rye takes that further, pushing back on a growing narrative that Black organizers and voters have checked out.

• "We're not sitting this out. We've been showing up, surviving, strategizing—and now we're organizing for the long term."

Her message is clear: Stop waiting for saviors. Start showing up for each other.

The bottom line: Rye said this has been about action and notes, "We're not letting it die in committee. This is about follow-through."