Black lawyers group statement on Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s plea deal
Let’s make sure we understand the underlying issue regarding the plea agreements of Angelique Lee, Jody Owens, Aaron Banks, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and other Black elected officials; it should not be defined by the word guilty. In 2020, the city council authorized then mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to relocate the statue of Andrew Jackson at city hall. Lumumba’s response was profound and should not be erased from his legacy as mayor of Mississippi’s capital city. He stated: “While removing a statue does little to change our condition as oppressed people, we should not have to constantly encounter the likenesses of those who profited off of the blood, sweat, and despair of our ancestors or see them immortalized as honorable.” The opposite can be said in the removal of Black leadership … To see them demoralized as dishonorable. – Alice Thomas-Tisdale
Today’s [July 6, 2026] proceedings mark the conclusion of one chapter in former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s legal journey, but they do not end the larger national conversation about the equal administration of justice. The National Conference of Black Lawyers has long maintained that accountability must be accompanied by fairness, consistency, and equal protection under the law.
Mayor Lumumba accepted responsibility for the count before the Court. That decision should not obscure the broader historical reality that Black elected officials have too often exercised leadership under a level of prosecutorial scrutiny and political pressure that is neither equally applied nor equally experienced.
From Reconstruction through the Civil Rights Movement and into the present day, Mississippi has served as both a proving ground for democracy and a reminder that the law can be used either to protect liberty or to concentrate power. That history requires vigilance whenever prosecutorial discretion intersects with Black political leadership.
The National Conference of Black Lawyers stands with Mayor Lumumba and his family as they seek to move beyond this difficult chapter. We also stand with the people of Jackson, who deserve the full measure of democratic self-governance, equal justice, and meaningful public investment.
Our hope is that this moment will be remembered not only for the disposition of a criminal case, but as a renewed call to ensure that justice is administered without fear, favor, political influence, or racial disparity. Equal justice under law is not a slogan. It is a constitutional promise that must be honored for every community and every citizen.
For more than half a century, the National Conference of Black Lawyers has stood where the law and the struggle for justice intersect. Founded in 1968 in the aftermath of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. NCBL was created because Black lawyers recognized that the law could be used as an instrument of liberation or as a tool of oppression. Our mission has never changed: to defend human rights, protect Black communities, and insist that the Constitution applies equally to everyone.
That mission has not changed today.
Former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s decision to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy closes one chapter in a difficult legal proceeding. It does not close the larger conversation about equal justice, prosecutorial discretion, or the continuing struggle for Black political self-determination.
The Lumumba name occupies a unique place in the history of the Black Liberation movement. The late Chokwe Lumumba devoted his life to building institutions of Black political power, community self-determination, and international human rights. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba sought to continue that tradition through public service in Jackson. Whether one agreed with every policy or political decision is beside the point. The legacy has always been larger than one office or one prosecution. It has been about the enduring belief that Black communities possess both the right and the capacity to govern themselves with dignity.
That legacy has not changed today.
As this case moves to sentencing, we urge the Court and the public to consider the totality of Mayor Lumumba’s life, his years of public service, his acceptance of responsibility, and the broader historical context in which Black political leadership has often operated in Mississippi.
NCBL also salutes our veteran attorneys and legal warriors who have dedicated themselves to this matter with unwavering diligence, commitment, and professionalism. We recognize and thank Jeffrey Edison, Gerald Evelyn, and Thomas Bellinder for their steadfast advocacy and their continued service to the pursuit of justice. Their work reflects the longstanding tradition of NCBL attorneys who have answered the call to stand beside movement leaders and communities in moments of profound legal and political consequence.
The National Conference of Black Lawyers will continue to do what it has done since 1968: stand with those whose constitutional rights are threatened, challenge unequal applications of the law, defend democratic participation, and advocate for a justice system worthy of the name.
Sentencing is currently scheduled for October 15 at 10:00 a.m. before the N Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. NCBL encourages members who are able to attend to stand in solidarity with Mayor Lumumba, his family, and the Jackson community.
