Five days after President Donald Trump began his second term with a flurry of discriminatory activity, New Orleans activists are hosting a Community Organizing Fair on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Andre Cailloux Center on Bayou Road to raise awareness of the work being done locally to support marginalized groups in New Orleans.

The event will feature workshops about navigating eviction and immigration enforcement, a panel on cross-movement organizing and musical performances from groups such as New Orleans Musicians 4 Palestine and the No-Law Anti-State Choir. Organizations like New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America, Renter’s Rights Assembly and New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports will also have tables where attendees can join organizations or learn more about direct actions they can take.

The event is being organized by a coalition of activists from several different groups that feel the time to come together has arrived. Over 30 groups will be represented, many of which have rallied over causes such as the war in Gaza, the state’s treatment of the unhoused and immigrants’ rights.

The fair comes the same week that Trump signed multiple executive orders targeting immigrants, DEI programs and transgender people. Toni Jones of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police told Verite that activists aren’t waiting to organize in the face of the new administration.

“We need to be bigger,” Jones said. “We need more numbers covering a wider array of issues, because they’re coming at us from every issue.”

Jones’ group will be tabling with pamphlets about the group, the history of civilian police oversight and the New Orleans Police Department’s federal consent decree, the 2013 court-ordered reform agreement that just entered a two-year sustainment period.

People march on Washington Avenue during a protest against the inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
People march on Washington Avenue during a protest against the inauguration of Donald Trump on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Credit: John Gray / Verite News

Is this fair for me?

John Lewis, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, helped organize the fair. He said that with many people becoming more politically active, organizers designed the event to be accessible to everyone, with the end goal of empowering members of the community to impact the decisions that affect New Orleans.

“A lot of people don’t have the opportunity to connect with people outside of just going to work, going to school, or bouncing between two and three jobs all the time,” Lewis said. “This also leads into situations in which you don’t have the time to learn about different things that are going on, or also learn about things that can help you with issues that you’re facing.”

Zach Dowling, a member of the group New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports and an organizer of the fair, said the event was to be an entry point for people who want to do more for their community.

“I think there’s a lot of people in this city who genuinely want to get involved in their community and start by doing something, but just really don’t know how to start or where to begin,” Dowling said. “That’s the need that this org fair is really trying to fill.”

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