Dek:
A powerful coalition of Black‑led organizations is accelerating its policy agenda—targeting housing access, voting power, and criminal‑legal reform for hundreds of thousands of Black residents.
Brief:
The United Black Agenda (UBA), one of New Jersey’s most influential Black policy coalitions, is intensifying its statewide organizing ahead of the 2025 legislative cycle. The coalition—composed of invitation‑only Black‑led and allied organizations—has spent the past year securing major wins for racial and economic equity, including $45 million for first‑generation homeownership, 83,000 newly registered voters, a one‑third reduction in the state’s prison population, and $750 million in eviction‑relief investments.
UBA leaders say the next phase focuses on expanding democratic access, strengthening community‑controlled economic development, and pushing for deeper structural reforms that close the racial wealth gap. The coalition is also building new partnerships with local governments, faith institutions, and youth‑led civic groups to broaden its reach.
With New Jersey’s racial wealth gap among the widest in the nation, UBA’s agenda is emerging as a blueprint for statewide Black policy power—one that other states are beginning to study.
Pull Quote: “New Jersey can be a national model for what happens when Black communities set the agenda instead of reacting to it.”
Why It Matters:
- Shapes statewide housing, voting, and economic policy
- Strengthens Black political power ahead of 2025
- Offers a replicable model for coordinated Black policy coalitions