By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
By Black folks, for Black folks the message was loud, clear, and uncompromising.
At Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, Florida, the spirit of resistance, resilience, and revival was alive and well as nearly 500 Black community members gathered for the People’s Meetup Townhall. And when Rep. Jasmine Crockett and civil rights powerhouse Attorney Ben Crump took the mic, it wasn’t just talk; it was a rallying cry drenched in truth and fire.
This wasn’t your usual political photo-op or a sanitized, feel-good forum. This was a room filled with urgency. Black urgency. The kind that comes from centuries of being silenced, overlooked, and legislated against. And both Crockett and Crump came with the heat — not just to preach, but to empower.
“Ain’t Nobody Coming to Save Us So We Better Start Saving Ourselves”
That energy ‘blood raw”, unapologetic, and deeply rooted in Black love and liberation was woven through every word spoken from the pulpit.
Crockett, the Texas congresswoman with no tolerance for foolishness or fascism, reminded the audience that the time for complacency has long passed. “Y’all, we got folks in power who prefer that we stay uneducated,” she said, referring without naming him to Donald13Trump’s war on truth, education, and the very idea of Black equality. “We have to understand the game they’re playing. Because if we don’t learn the rules, we’re gonna keep getting played.”
Meanwhile, Ben Crump known by many as the Attorney General for Black America laid it down plainly: “The enemies of equality are banking on us being too tired, too distracted, or too afraid to keep fighting. But fear is contagious, and so is courage.” His words stirred the room like a Sunday sermon. “We just need one person to stand up. Then two. Then four. Then a community. Then a movement. That’s how we win.”
Local Politics Ain’t Optional — It’s Survival
Hosted by Sen. Shevrin ‘Shev’ Jones, D-Miami Gardens, the meetup wasn’t just about naming the problem, it was about reclaiming power. At a time when Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to erase Black history from Florida classrooms and national leaders roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, Crump and Crockett made one thing clear: Black folks can’t afford to sit out on any level of politics, especially local.
“Our people need to understand that national headlines start at the grassroots,” Crockett said. “Y’all over here in Florida we praying for you, hard but y’all still got power. Look at your local leaders. They’re fighting for you. You just have to show up with them.”
And it’s not just about voting, it’s about building. Building Black-owned media. Building economic independence. Building political power from the bottom up. Because when policies come down from Washington or Tallahassee, it’s our neighborhoods, our schools, and our futures that get hit first.
Black Education is Black Liberation
Crump and Crockett both lit up the stage when the subject turned to education — not just classroom learning, but community knowledge and political literacy.
Crockett broke it down: “It ain’t just about knowing who Frederick Douglass was though you should. It’s about understanding how tariffs, trade deals, and voter suppression impact your paycheck, your child’s school, and your neighborhood.” She pushed the audience to embrace education as a tool of resistance to teach our children the truths that the state may try to hide. “If they won’t teach it in school, then we teach it at home.”
Crump doubled down: “We need to make sure our babies are smarter than the systems trying to oppress them. That’s how we win this war.”
Unapologetically Black, Unapologetically Free
The townhall was not without its grief and frustration 2024’s election aftermath and the Democratic Party’s slipping grasp on parts of the Black male vote hung over the event like a storm cloud. But instead of wallowing, Crump and Crockett insisted we face it head-on.
“We gotta talk to the ones who feel left out,” Crockett said. “Even if they don’t vote, even if they roll their eyes at the process. That’s our family too. We gotta pull them back in.”
And while white supremacists boldly show their faces, Crump made it clear: “If they can be unapologetic in their hate, then we better be unapologetic in our love for ourselves. Black life, Black liberty, Black humanity we defend that with everything we’ve got.”
This Ain’t Just a Moment It’s a Movement
This wasn’t a town hall, it was a Mass Meeting revival of Black political power. A return to that grassroots, soul-deep movement energy. And the takeaway was clear:
No one is coming to save us. But we’ve always known that.
From Harriet to Malcolm, from Fannie Lou to George Floyd, from the slave ships to the Supreme Court, we’ve been the ones doing the saving. And we still are.
So, whether you’re in Texas, Florida, or anywhere in between it’s time to stand up, speak out, and organize like your life depends on it.
Because it does.
