Vibe.com, October 17th, 2005
Dubbed the Millions More Movement, the daylong procession marked the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March and included words of wisdom from international diplomats, key political figures such as Al Sharpton and Cornel West, and hip hop great weights like Wyclef Jean. Packed beyond visibility, the virtual sea of people stretched from the Capitol steps to the National Monument and beyond as they diligently listened and took heed to the Minister’s call.
“The government will never do for the people of this nation unless we organize effectively, so the burden is on us,” stated Farrakhan in his 75-minute speech. “If the government is detrimental to life, detrimental to liberty, detrimental to the pursuit of happiness, we have the right to change government – the right to reform it or abolish it, but you have to decide America . . . you have to get out of power the neo-conservative idea of that imperialist America.”
Touching on literally everything from Hurricane Katrina to African debt relief, Minister Farrakhan called on the people to form their own ministries of education, agriculture, health and human services, information, arts and culture, and defense. In addition, the Nation of Islam leader urged people to donate $1 a week to his newly formed Disaster Relief Fund, and fast on the day which they contribute so that they themselves may get a sense of the fraction of suffering that Gulf Coast residents and others went through.
Standing in unison across the National Mall, the men, women and children held banners that read differing statements such as “Impeach Bush” or “Black Power,” and waved African liberation flags comprised of red, black and green. As families arrived from around the nation, busloads of groups also gathered in and around the vicinity to speak out on their cause as they simultaneously supported the Millions More Movement. One organization, “Mothers In Charge to Stop the Violence” – women who lost their children to gun/street violence – stood with pictures of their lost loved ones and pleaded with everyone to “please put your guns down.”
Though the highlight of the event was without a doubt Farrakhan’s message, the audience was also entertained and enlightened throughout the day with performances and speeches by Erykah Badu, Jim Jones, Russell Simmons, Kweisi Mfume and Jesse Jackson to name a few. And among the attendees vying support was everyone from Styles P and Jadakiss to Tavis Smiley.
“I just think this is step number six,” said Chuck D of Public Enemy who also came out for the mid-October rally. “When we did it 10 years ago, that was step number three, and in another five or six years we’ll be at step number eight. So understand that in a 15-step program, 10 years is not a lot of time. When people try to look for that microwave result that we should all be alright and how we all got together and everything should be quantified, those are impossibilities – it doesn’t happen overnight . . . that’s why it’s called a struggle.”
Perhaps the biggest theme of unity among the “black, brown, and poor” was visible not only via the speakers – which included members of the Native American and Latino community – but through the array of people in attendance from the Bloods to the Panthers all decidedly concerned about the state of their community and its future.
“There’s room in this movement for everybody,” said Dr. Benjamin Chavis, head of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and National Director for the Millions More Movement. “50 percent of the people that came out today were young people and that’s very encouraging. That shows us that we not only have a sense of resilience, but I see the torch of leadership being passed to young brothers and sisters in a new generation who are rising to the occasion out of their own rights. And the momentum of this day will be felt in communities throughout the nation.”
For more information, check out www.millionsmoremovement.com.
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