Million Man March
Million Man March
In early 1995 Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam proposed a Million Man March on Washington, D.C., for that fall. The organizers described the march as an opportunity for black men to take responsibility for their lives and communities, and to demonstrate repentance for their mistreatment of black women. In addition, the march was designed to unite blacks and point up the lack of national action against racial inequality.
Even as march organizers, most notably ousted National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) head Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis Muhammad, began an extensive publicity campaign, many whites and African Americans spoke out against the march. The feminist scholar Angela Davis and the black leader Amiri Baraka led the criticism of the exclusion of black women, and journalist Carl Rowan and scholar Roger Wilkins denounced the whole idea as racially discriminatory. Many blacks who supported the idealistic goals of the march refused to participate because of its association with Farrakhan and his nationalist, anti-Semitic message, although many blacks who disagreed with Farrakhan's views nonetheless participated in the gathering.
On October 16, 1995, the march gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, site of the 1963 March on Washington. Organizers claimed a million blacks participated, although the Park Service counted 400,000. Numerous speakers, including Dorothy Height and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, addressed the crowd. Farrakhan delivered the climactic address, reminding the marchers, "We are in progress toward a more perfect union." The march stimulated black voter registration and political activism, but its long-term impact is unclear.
See also Baraka, Amiri (Jones, LeRoi); Chavis, Benjamin Franklin, Jr.; Davis, Angela; Farrakhan, Louis; Height, Dorothy; Jackson, Jesse; Nation of Islam; Rowan, Carl T.
Bibliography
Madhubuti, Haki R., and Maulana Karenga. Million Man March/Day of Absence: A Commemorative Anthology. Chicago: Third World, 1996.
greg robinson (1996)
Updated bibliography