With the Democratic Party on its heels in the wake of Donald Trump’s second inauguration to the U.S. Presidency, Springfield progressives gathered at a historic Black church on Sunday. Their goal — to rally their forces — and ask themselves — where do they go from here?
Pitts Chapel Pastor Tracey Wolff gave the invocation prayer for the town hall, put on by NAACP Springfield Branch.
“Come those who fell asleep in the soul’s dark night, but have awakened with a heart full of hope," she quoted from a prayer book. "We need you.”
Attendees told Ozarks Public Radio they expected Sunday's event to be a forum for healing. A crowd of some 200 listened to messages about civics in 2025 from a range of advocates. They included Christian pastors, Latino and LGBT community advocates and the League of Women Voters, among others. One theme of the day was building relationships and community as a way of developing political power.
Lexi Amos, with Missouri Jobs with Justice, told the crowd that it's "only by developing those intense relationships that we can actually build power to do and make the things that we hold true — those values — happen in the world.”
