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Million Man March

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The Million Man March, Washington, D.C., October 1995
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The Million Man March was a mass political demonstration held in the United States, in Washington, D.C., on October 16, 1995. Under the leadership of Nation of Islam head Louis Farrakhan, black men from across the United States converged on Washington in an effort to “convey to the world a vastly different picture of the Black male” [1] and to unite in self-help and self-defense against economic and social ills plaguing the African American community.

The march took place within the context of a larger grassroots movement that set out to win politicians’ attention for urban and minority issues through widespread voter registration campaigns. [2] A parallel event called the Day of Absence, organized by female leaders in conjunction with the March leadership, occurred on the same date and was intended to engage the large population of black Americans who would not be able to attend the demonstration in Washington. On this date, all Blacks were encouraged to stay home from their usual school, work, and social engagements in favor of attending teach-ins and worship services focusing on the struggle for a healthy and self-sufficient black community. Further, organizers of the Day of Absence hoped to use the occasion to make great headway on their voter registration drive. [3]

Although the march won support and participation from a number of prominent African American leaders, its legacy is plagued by controversy over several issues. The leader of the march, Louis Farrakhan, is a highly contested figure whose biting commentary on race in America has lead some to wonder whether the message of the march can successfully be disentangled from the controversial messenger. [4] Further, men and women alike question the decision to focus on black men to the exclusion of black women. Although women were involved in the planning and execution of the event, it is a male-only occasion in both name and public image that, some argue, could be detrimental to the already tenuous gender relations in the African American community. [5] Finally, within the first twenty-four hours following the March a conflict between March organizers and Park Service officials erupted over crowd size estimates. Initially, the National Park Service issued an estimate of about 400,000 attendees; a number significantly lower than March organizers had hoped for. [6] After a heated exchange between leaders of the march and Park Services the estimate was raised to 850,000 but still fell short of the organizers’ estimate of over one million. [7] Although the BBC NEWS sated that the number was 2 million. The controversy over the number of men who actually participated in the March has yet to be firmly resolved.

Economic and social woes

One of the primary motivating factors for the march was to place black issues back on the nation’s agenda. In the aftermath of the Republican Party’s victory in the 1994 Congressional election and the continued success of the party’s campaign tool, the Contract with America, the social and economic issues facing the black community fell by the wayside of policy debates. [8] March organizers believed that politicians were failing the black community by “papering over the most vital dimensions of the crisis in international capitalism” [9] and blaming urban Blacks for “domestic economic woes that threatened to produce record deficits, massive unemployment, and uncontrolled inflation.” [10]

At the time of the march, black Americans faced unemployment rates nearly two times that of white Americans, a greater than 40 percent poverty rate, and a median family income that totaled about 58 percent of the white median. 11.1 percent of all black males were unemployed and for those aged 16–19 the number of unemployed had climbed over 50 percent [11] Further, according to Reverend Jesse Jackson’s speech at the March, the United States House of Representatives had taken dramatic fiscal action against some of the programs that played an integral role in urban Americans’ lives. “The House of Representatives cut $1.1 billion from the nation’s poorest public schools,” and “cut $137 million from head start” effectively subtracting $5,000 from each classroom’s budget and cutting 45,000 preschoolers from a crucial early education program. [12]

Environmental hazards, too, made the lives of urban Blacks particularly unstable. Black men fell victim to homicide at a rate of 72 per 100,000, a rate significantly higher than the 9.3 per 100,000 attributed to the white male population. [13] Aggressive law enforcement and prison construction left “two hundred thousand more blacks in the jail complex than in college” [14] and devastating leadership gaps within black communities and families. [15] Event organizers were further infuriated by a perceived gap in prenatal care for black women and children caused, in part, by the closing of inner-city hospitals. [16] On the whole, event organizers were of the view that urban Blacks were born with “three strikes against them” [17]: insufficient prenatal care, inferior educational opportunities, and jobless parents. [18] Instead of providing young children with the means to succeed, the government intervened in the lives of its black citizens later in life through law enforcement and welfare handouts that did little to improve the community’s circumstances. [19]

Media portrayal

Changing the effects of the media's depiction of black men was extremely central to the goals of the Million Man March. In addition to their goal of fostering a spirit of support and self-sufficiency within the black community, organizers of the Million Man March also sought to use the event as a publicity campaign aimed at combating the negative racial stereotypes perpetuated by the American media and popular culture. Those in charge of the march were dismayed by the sweeping stereotypes that white America seemed to draw from the media portrayal of such figures as Willie Horton, O.J Simpson, and Mike Tyson. [20] Believing that “black men have been designated by the culture as the sacrificial lambs for male evil” [21] event organizers asked black male attendees to make a public display of their commitment to responsible and constructive behavior [22] that would give the mass media positive imagery to broadcast.

The program

Although there were many points of interests with various organizations, charities and vendors having spaces reserved, the focal point of the day was the stage set-up on the west front grounds of the United States Capitol building. The day's events were broken down into these categories: Early Morning Glory (6am-7:30am), Sankofa: Lessons from the Past Linkages to the Future (8am-10:30am), Affirmation/Responsibility (11am-2pm), Atonement and Reconciliation (2:30pm-4pm).[23]

Sankofa: Lessons from the past

The opening prayer for this section was offered by Rev. Wayne Gadie of the Emanuel Baptist Church in Malden, Massachusetts and it featured dancers and drummers from the village of Kankoura, Africa. Greetings from the African Dispora were brought from the continent of Africa as well as the Caribbean. Those were returned with greetings from Black American leaders such as: George Augustus Stallings, Oscar Easton (Blacks in Government), Henry Nichols (Hospital Workers Union), Dr. Niam Akbar (Florida State University), Zachery McDaniels (National African American Leadership Summit

Affirmation/Responsibility

Rev. Willie F. Wilson of Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and Minister Ishmael Muhammad of Mosque Maryam in Chicago, Illinois were slated as the masters of ceremonies for this section of the program.[23] Speakers during this segment included:

Affirmation of Our Brothers

Mothers of the Struggle - Behold Thy Sons

Atonement and Reconciliation

Rev. Willie F. Wilson and Minister Ishmael Muhammad were slated as the masters of ceremonies for this section as well, but there were fewer people to introduce because this section would include a message from Minister Louis Farrakhan. Bishop H. H. Brookins of the 5th Episcopal District, AME in Los Angeles, California delivered the prayer for atonement, while Rev. James Bevel[24] of Chicago provided the theological foundation for atonement. Dr. Cornell West and Rev. Joseph Lowery presented statements of atonement in their speeches. Rev. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. was the national coordinator of the Million Man March and spoke about the healing of a people. Farrakan spoke last.

Structure of speeches

The Million Man March was constructed as a mass political demonstration that would take place on the West Front of the U.S Capital Grounds. The organizers of the event took steps to lift the march from a purely political level to a spiritual one, inspiring attendees and honored guests to move beyond the simple “articulation of black grievances” [25] to a state of spiritual healing. Speakers at the event structured their talks around three themes: atonement, reconciliation, and responsibility. [26] The Day of Atonement became a second name for the event and came to represent the most basic motivation of the Million Man movement. In the words of one man who was in attendance, Marchers aimed at “being at one with ourselves, the Most High, and our people” [27]. Beyond the most basic call for atonement leaders of the March also called for reconciliation, or a state of harmony between members of the black community and their God. [28] Speakers called participants to “settle disputes, overcome conflicts, put aside grudges and hatreds” and unite in an effort to create a productive and supportive black community that fosters in each person the ability to “seek the good, find it, embrace it, and build on it.” [29] Finally, the leaders of the March challenged participants and their families at home to “expand [our] commitment to responsibility in personal conduct…and in obligations to the community”. [30]

Notable speakers[31]

Minister Rasul Muhammad- Master of Ceremonies
Reverend Benjamin Chavis- National Director of Million Man March- Call to Purpose
Mr. Martin Luther King III- Affirmation of our Brothers
Rosa Parks- Mothers of the Struggle Behold Thy Sons
Maya Angelou Appeal to Our Brothers
Reverend Jeremiah Wright- Prayer for Hope
Senator Aldebert Bryan- Senator, Virgin Islands
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr.- National Rainbow Coalition
Minister Louis Farrakhan- The Message and Vision

Day of Absence

While male leaders took primary responsibility for planning and participating in the events in Washington, female leaders organized a parallel activity called the National Day of Absence. [32] In the spirit of unity and atonement, these leaders issued a call for all black people not in attendance at the March to recognize October 16, 1995 as a sacred day meant for self-reflection and spiritual reconciliation. On the Day of Absence all black Americans were encouraged to stay home from their work, school, athletic, entertainment activities and various other daily responsibilities. Instead of partaking in their usual routines, participants in the Day of Absence were instructed to gather at places of worship and to hold teach-ins at their homes in order to meditate on the role and responsibility of Blacks in America. [33] Further, the day was intended to serve as an occasion for mass voter registration and contribution to the establishment of a Black Economic Development Fund.

Crowd size controversy

Due to the name of the event, the number of attendees was a primary measure of its success and estimating the crowd size, always a contentious issue, reached new heights in bitterness.[34] March organizers estimated the crowd size at between 1.5 and 2 million people and were shocked when the United States Park Police officially estimated the crowd size at 400,000. Farrakhan threatened to sue the National Park Service due to the controversial low estimate from the Park Police.

Three days after the march, Dr. Farouk El-Baz and a team of ten research associates and graduate students at the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University released an estimate of 870,000 people with a margin of error of about 25 percent. They arrived at this figure by enlarging aerial photographs taken by the Park Service and counting crowd density.[35] They later revised that figure to 837,000 ±20% (669,600 to 1,004,400). This revision was made when the Park Service provided original 35mm negatives; the first count was made with scanned printed photographs.

The Park Service estimate was never retracted,[34] and other academics have supported its lower figure.[36]

After the Million Man March, the Park Police ceased making official crowd size estimates. Roger G. Kennedy, the Park Service director, said Congress had provided the "structure and canons" for counting people, but it had not demanded that the exercise actually be done. He contemplated informing Congress, "Thank you for telling us how to do it, but we won't be doing it."[35] In the 1997 appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior, Congress included language that prohibits the National Park Service from conducting crowd estimates in the District of Columbia. The legislation also states that if event organizers want crowd estimates, they should contract with an outside agency.[37]

See also

Other movements that based their name on the Million Man March

Footnotes

  1. ^ Million Man March National Organizing Committee (January 1996). "Million Man March Fact Sheet". In Madhubuti, Haki R.; Karenga, Maulana (eds.). Million Man March / Day of Absence; A Commemorative Anthology; Speeches, Commentary, Photography, Poetry, Illustrations, Documents. Third World Press. p. 152. {{cite book}}: Text "location Chicago" ignored (help)
  2. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). "Black Church Politics and The Million Man March". In Best, Felton O. (ed.). Black Religious Leadership from the Slave Community to the Million Man March; flames of fire. Lewiston, New York: The Edwin Mellen Press. p. 245.
  3. ^ Karenga, Dr. Maulana (January 1996). "The Million Man March / Day of Absence Mission Statement". In Madhubuti, Haki R.; Karenga, Maulana (eds.). Million Man March / Day of Absence; A Commemorative Anthology; Speeches, Commentary, Photography, Poetry, Illustrations, Documents. Third World Press. p. 147. {{cite book}}: Text "location Chicago" ignored (help)
  4. ^ Bierbauer, Charles (17 October 1995). "Its goal more widely accepted than its leader". Cable News Network, Inc. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  5. ^ Quarles, Norma (16 October 1995). "Behind Million Men, black women". Cable News Network, Inc. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
  6. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 243. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 243. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 243. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 243. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 244. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 244. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ^ Jackson, Sr., Reverend Jesse L. (January 1996). "Remarks Before One Million Men, Monday, October 16, 1995". In Madhubuti, Haki R.; Karenga, Maulana (eds.). Million Man March / Day of Absence; A Commemorative Anthology; Speeches, Commentary, Photography, Poetry, Illustrations, Documents. Third World Press. p. 33. {{cite book}}: Text "location Chicago" ignored (help)
  13. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 244. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ Jackson, Sr., Reverend Jesse L. (January 1996). p. 33. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 244. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ Jackson, Sr., Reverend Jesse L. (January 1996). p. 33. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ^ Jackson, Sr., Reverend Jesse L. (January 1996). p. 33. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ Jackson, Sr., Reverend Jesse L. (January 1996). p. 33. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ^ Jackson, Sr., Reverend Jesse L. (January 1996). p. 34. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 245. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ^ Reed, Ishmael (January 1996). "Buck Passing: The Media, Black Men, O.J. and The Million Man March". In Madhubuti, Haki R.; Karenga, Maulana (eds.). Million Man March / Day of Absence; A Commemorative Anthology; Speeches, Commentary, Photography, Poetry, Illustrations, Documents. Third World Press. p. 129. {{cite book}}: Text "location Chicago" ignored (help)
  22. ^ Karenga, Dr. Maulana (January 1996). p. 143. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. ^ a b "Official Program". Washington, D.C.: Million Man March. 1995-10-16: 8. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  24. ^ "Noted civil rights leader". Vanderbilt University. 1998-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
  25. ^ Nelson Jr., William E. (1998). p. 249. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ^ McIntyre, Ph.D, Charshee (January 1996). "Why Focus on the Men?". In Madhubuti, Haki R.; Karenga, Maulana (eds.). Million Man March / Day of Absence; A Commemorative Anthology; Speeches, Commentary, Photography, Poetry, Illustrations, Documents. Third World Press. p. 115. {{cite book}}: Text "location Chicago" ignored (help)
  27. ^ McIntyre, Ph.D, Charshee (January 1996). p. 115. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ^ Karenga, Dr. Maulana (January 1996). p. 143. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ^ Karenga, Dr. Maulana (January 1996). p. 143. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ^ Karenga, Dr. Maulana (January 1996). p. 144. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ^ Million Man March National Organizing Committee (January 1996). "Million Man March Official Program October 16, 1995". In Madhubuti, Haki R.; Karenga, Maulana (eds.). Million Man March / Day of Absence; A Commemorative Anthology; Speeches, Commentary, Photography, Poetry, Illustrations, Documents. Third World Press. pp. 159–166. {{cite book}}: Text "location Chicago" ignored (help)
  32. ^ Karenga, Dr. Maulana (January 1996). p. 146. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ^ Karenga, Dr. Maulana (January 1996). p. 147. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ^ a b McKenna, David (2009-01-29), "The 3 to 5 Million Man March: Crowd estimates could lead to post-swearing-in swearing, history shows.", Washington City Paper, retrieved 2009-03-01
  35. ^ a b Federal Parks Chief Calls 'Million Man' Count Low, NY Times, October 21, 1995
  36. ^ McPhail, Clark; McCarthy, John (Summer 2004), "Who counts and how: estimating the size of protests", Caliber, 3 (3): ‌12–18, doi:10.1525/ctx.2004.3.3.12, The Million Man March of 1995 was neither a march nor did it attract a million men. However, the dispute over how many hundreds of thousands assembled that day remains one of the most widely publicized disagreements over a mass demonstration in American history.
  37. ^ Leef Smith, Wendy Melillo. If It's Crowd Size You Want, Park Service Says Count It Out; Congress Told Agency to Stop, Official Says Washington Post: Oct 13, 1996. pg. A.34
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