Popular Assemblies

OBV is partnering with the Humanity Project (HP) to develop a new culture of Popular Assemblies—rooted in community listening and people-led politics. The goal is to empower Black and Asian communities to tackle key issues such as racism, climate action, and the cost of living crisis through structured deliberation and collective decision-making.

We believe that real change happens when people from all walks of life come together, putting culture at the heart of politics—not the other way around.

By 2028, we want the government to know that the people have been organising, we are mobilised, and we have demands.

Who is the Humanity Project (HP)?

HP is an organisation that champions structured deliberative assemblies. Unlike Citizens’ Assemblies, Popular Assemblies prioritise grassroots participation and direct democracy.

Research shows that deliberation helps shift perspectives, increase empathy, and reduce cognitive bias.

How Can Democracy Be Improved?

Operation Black Vote (OBV) believes that democracy isn’t working as well as it should. Too many people—especially those from Black, Asian, and other minority communities—feel left out and unheard.

OBV wants to change this by asking a bold question:
What should a multi-racial democracy look like?

They believe that for democracy to be fair, it needs to reflect and include everyone’s voices and experiences. This means building a democracy where:

People from all races and backgrounds have an equal say

Communities can influence the decisions that affect their lives

Everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered

The Assembly model goes beyond traditional consultations (which, let’s be honest, often get met with well earned scepticism). Instead, it creates a space for real listening, deep deliberation, and democratic decision-making that actually includes communities.

Here, people can:

Practise decision-making

Shape policy through collective wisdom

Address systemic challenges from an anti-racist perspective


The Humanity Project chose to use structured deliberative assemblies. Our assemblies are popular assemblies, rather than citizens assemblies. There’s heaps of evidence that deliberation changes opinions, increases empathy and reduces cognitive bias.

Create a space for celebration and connection so that people leave feeling uplifted and inspired.
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For example, in a Popular Assembly, people can talk about problems like racism or the high cost of living. They listen to each other’s experiences, share stories about how these issues affect them, and work together to find solutions. They may also celebrate with food, music, and dance, creating a sense of community and joy.
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This way, decisions are made by the community, for the community, and everyone feels included and heard.

Why Use Popular Assemblies?

The Assembly model goes beyond traditional consultations (which, let’s be honest, often get met with well earned scepticism). Instead, it creates a space for real listening, deep deliberation, and democratic decision-making that actually includes communities.

Here, people can:
‍
Practise decision-making

Shape policy through collective wisdom

Address systemic challenges from an anti-racist perspective

The Humanity Project chose to use structured deliberative assemblies. Our assemblies are popular assemblies, rather than citizens assemblies (more info here). There’s heaps of evidence that deliberation changes opinions, increases empathy and reduces cognitive bias.

What's The Vision?

It all leads to one big, joyful annual national assembly—where people from all over come together in a culture we’ve built, together.

Think music, dance, food, poetry… maybe even jugglers! It’s going to feel like the world we want to create.

Manchester, We're Listening

We kicked off the first event in our Popular Assemblies series last week — a powerful afternoon of dialogue and connection in collaboration with the Humanity Project and CAHN.

Attendees took us deep into Moss Side’s past, present and future — unpacking demographic shifts, health inequalities, housing pressures and education gaps.

From the rise of community food projects to the power of Sunday dinners, we explored how residents are creating local solutions rooted in culture, care and collective action.

Ready to get the most out of your creativity? Let’s start together.

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