ATLANTIC CITY – Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the 113th annual conference of the NAACP put an animated exclamation point on Vice President Kamala Harris’ urgent call for people to vote in the coming midterm elections.

“When black and brown people don’t vote, the state is just as red as Texas,” Baraka told the convention hall.

“We want to be repaired,” added the mayor.

Newark’s successful battle to eradicate the city of lead-contaminated drinking water lines vaulted Baraka firmly into the national bloodstream.

Having just secured a third term in local office, he took the stage at the New Jersey-based national conference in immediate support of the vice president.

His remarks followed speeches by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, and Vice President Kamala Harris.