Freedom for South New Jersey Strategic Coalition

Grassroots. United. Unstoppable.

The Freedom for South New Jersey Strategic Coalition is a people’s alliance—born from neighborhood conversations, church halls, youth meetups, and kitchen table strategy sessions. Our network includes longtime volunteers, legal advocates, faith leaders, youth organizers, educators, and small business champions. Many have served at the forefront of major civil rights, legal defense, and social justice movements across New Jersey and the nation, bringing invaluable experience and commitment to our grassroots engine.

Purpose and 5-Year Vision

Our movement’s urgent charge: Resist Project 2025’s regressive policies, mobilize 100,000 new and returning voters, flip key offices for justice, protect civil liberties, and establish permanent, community-controlled infrastructure for freedom and equity.

2025–2030 objectives:

• Register 100,000 new/returning voters, focusing on Black, Latinx, youth, and underserved neighborhoods.
  
  

• Flip at least 3 county-level and 5 municipal seats to justice-aligned leaders.
  
  

• Duplicate and strengthen voter turnout models from church-based “Souls to the Polls” to high school gym registration drives.
  
  

• Protect voters and activists with legal observer teams and 24/7 local legal hotlines.
  
  

• Boost local businesses through quarterly Black business expos, micro-grants, and entrepreneurship clinics.
  
  

• Institutionalize a leadership pipeline that grooms 1,500 volunteers, block captains, and youth leaders.
  
  

• Direct resources to rapid digital mobilization, fact-based counter-messaging, and crisis response.
  
  

• Train 100 legal observers, develop pro bono rapid-response teams, and prepare for litigation against rights violations.
  
  

Organizational Structure—Community in Action

Core Leadership Team (12–15):
Composed of faith leaders, educators, youth activists, business owners, and veteran grassroots organizers, with key seats reserved for individuals who have demonstrated leadership in prominent advocacy and legal defense arenas.

Subcommittees:
Each with 2 co-leads and 5–10 members—delivering direct impact:

• Political Engagement (voter registration, education, election protection)
  
  

• Social Advocacy (policy campaigns, legal clinics, protest organization)
  
  

• Economic Empowerment (business expos, financial literacy, micro-grants)
  
  

• Event Coordination (venue logistics, safety, food, gear, security)
  
  

• Digital Mobilization (social media, SMS/email chains, video testimonials, misinformation busting)
  
  

• Volunteer Engagement (onboarding, recognition, leadership development, merit-based stipends)
  
  

Monthly Reports & Community Forums:

• Subcommittees submit weekly and monthly impact reports.
  
  

• Quarterly open forums report out wins, setbacks, priorities.
  
  

Major Campaigns and Step-by-Step Actions

Voter Registration & Civic Power

• Set quarterly targets: Camden (8,000), Atlantic (5,000), Cumberland (3,000), Gloucester/Salem/Cape May (3,000 each).
  
  

• Organize “Mobile Registration Teams” equipped with tablets, paper forms, and QR codes—regular rotation through barbershops, supermarkets, college campuses, public transit stations.
  
  

• Partner with churches/faith centers for “Souls to the Polls” every Sunday before major elections.
  
  

• Use advanced tools: VAN Voter Activation, BallotReady, tailored local guides.
  
  

• Leverage digital sign-ups, monthly calls, and text reminders before deadlines.
  
  

Town Halls & Candidate Accountability

• Hold at least two public forums per county each cycle—one at a church, another at a library—with full livestream access.
  
  

• Forums feature a diverse set of moderators: clergy, veteran activists, youth leaders.
  
  

• Forums require candidate pledge signing for community accountability.
  
  

• Provide “rapid-response text and phone banking scripts” tied to these events.
  
  

Advocacy Days & Targeted Canvassing

• Coordinate at least two Advocacy Days to the NJ State House per year—focusing on Project 2025 impacts, voter rights protection, and economic justice.
  
  

• Provide transportation, stipends for youth/seniors, visibility gear (shirts, banners), and press kits.
  
  

• Deploy canvassers with data-driven scripts, culturally tailored for each district.
  
  

Grassroots Membership Building

• 25 block captains per ZIP code, each hosting monthly meetups (potlucks, listening circles, cleanup days).
  
  

• 500 volunteer goal per county; recruit via street tabling, college clubs, church auxiliaries, peer-to-peer invitations, and online outreach.
  
  

• Weekly reporting for block captains through digital forms—number of doors knocked, stories collected, issues raised.
  
  

Policy and Legal Strategy

• Build a legal defense hub: set up a 24/7 hotline for urgent matters like voter intimidation, protest arrests, and immigration/deportation crises.
  
  

• Support students and parents facing discriminatory discipline in schools; host legal clinics and “Know Your Rights” sessions.
  
  

• Educate churches and faith leaders on how to establish justice teams for advocacy and protection.
  
  

Economic Empowerment & Business Strength

• Convene quarterly business expos featuring Black/Latinx vendors, youth entrepreneur showcases, cooperative business education, and panels on mobile payments, branding, and crowdfunding.
  
  

• Coordinate franchise information sessions and “Buy Black South Jersey” campaigns.
  
  

• Hold regular homeownership workshops: estate planning, credit repair, tax planning, and investment basics, with handouts and gift-card incentives.
  
  

• Organize biannual job fairs and resume clinics, pairing participants with local unions, HBCUs, and business mentors.
  
  

Youth & Education Programs

• Social Justice Fellowships for students (stipend supported), with training in digital organizing, public speaking, and campaign strategy.
  
  

• High School “Students Against Project 2025” clubs: offer monthly action themes, club toolkits, and speaker visits.
  
  

• Host college town halls and open mic “Nights for Justice,” with live civic quizzes and spoken word events.
  
  

• Digital teams run #FlipSouthJersey, #StudentsAgainstProject2025, and #BlackVotesMatterNJ, aiming for 1 million impressions.
  
  

Faith Community & Spiritual Organizing

• Establish church ambassadors to liaise with the coalition and host regional hub meetings.
  
  

• Faith Justice Sundays, with worship themes around liberation and justice, paired with onsite voter stations and spoken word or gospel performances.
  
  

• Organize prayer walks, healing circles, and Gospel concerts—interlocking faith, culture, and organizing.
  
  

• Equip faith leaders with digital toolkits (sermon outlines, social graphics, QR codes) for outreach and education.
  
  

Digital Infrastructure & Messaging

• Launch and maintain www.NavigatingRoughWaters.org as digital HQ for volunteer sign-up, resources, and events.
  
  

• Employ multi-channel social media—Freedom Friday reels, TikTok explainers, YouTube voting tutorials, and branded memes.
  
  

• Weekly bi-lingual email/SMS blasts, rapid alert chains for urgent calls to action or misinformation response.
  
  

• Maintain a continuously updated events calendar, with direct RSVP and livestream links.
  
  

Daily & Weekly Action Routines

• Monday: New infographics (distributed on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook)
  
  

• Tuesday: Phone banking and legislative call-ins (organized via Zoom, OpenVPB)
  
  

• Wednesday: Virtual education panels (rotating between libraries, schools, churches)
  
  

• Thursday: Digital blasts for weekend church actions, music messaging
  
  

• Friday: Grassroots fundraising—featured stories, sponsorship asks, business shout-outs
  
  

• Saturday: Ground canvassing, mutual aid deliveries, voter tables
  
  

• Sunday: “Faith. Freedom. Flip South Jersey.” sermons, prayer circles, live registration
  
  

Timelines, Metrics, and Accountability

• Foundation Phase (Apr–Jun 2025): Partnerships, initial registration drives, launch of regional town halls.
  
  

• Expansion Phase (Jul–Sep 2025): Training 500 volunteers, 10+ major events, 3 regional hubs.
  
  

• Mobilization Phase (Oct–Nov 2025): “Get Out the Vote” Sundays, multi-county canvassing, digital blitzes.
  
  

• Post-Election Phase (Dec 2025 onward): Strategic planning retreats, legislation for voting access, sustained organizing.
  
  

• Key metrics: 25,000+ new registrations per quarter; 1,500+ volunteers activated; 100+ events held; 250,000 digital impressions.
  
  

Sustaining and Growing the Movement

• Secure multi-year grants, in-kind business donations, and $500,000+ in community funding.
  
  

• Quarterly public “State of the Movement” meetings, open leadership elections, transparent community scorecards.
  
  

• Legacy strategy: Permanent organizing offices in churches/community centers; paid part-time coordinators; mentorship and pipeline for youth and new leaders.
  
  

Get Involved—Every Role Matters

You are the engine of change—whether tabling at a food market, moderating a forum, designing a flyer, leading a block meeting, or sharing your testimony on Sunday.

Join online or in person:

• Volunteer as a block captain, event planner, legal support, digital storyteller, canvassing leader, or youth advocate.
  
  

• Plug into faith-based action, economic empowerment, digital organizing, or defense teams.
  
  

• Bring your story, your family, your congregation, your club, your classroom, and your dreams for justice and democracy.
  
  

Contact:

• www.navigatingroughwaters.org

• Local churches, student groups, civic spaces, and trustworthy neighborhood networks
  
  

Faith. Freedom. Flip South Jersey. Real, lasting change starts at the grassroots—step by step, block by block, with us.