By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the AFRO
Thirty years in the past one of many largest assemblies of Black males ever recorded within the nation got here collectively in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 16.
Credit score: All AFRO Photographs / J.D. Howard
Gathered on the Nationwide Mall, greater than one million Black males urged Congress to handle their wants and debunk long-held stereotypes about African-American males. The march was a name for Black males to bind collectively and petition the federal government to handle unemployment, incarceration charges and different ills impacting their neighborhood.
The occasion, often known as the Million Man March, was conceived by Minister Louis Farrakhan, the chief of the Nation of Islam, and held along with the Nationwide African American Management Summit. The march was an outgrowth of the “Males Solely” conferences held throughout Farrakhan’s nationwide “Cease the Killing” tour in 1994, based on data discovered within the Last Name, the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam. Additionally included had been main civil rights organizations of the day and grassroots teams primarily based in America, Africa and the Caribbean, all serving in important roles.
America has undergone a paradigm shift since that October day, with a present administration bent on reversing lots of the victories achieved through the Civil Rights Motion. The anniversary of the Million Man March comes at a time the place nationwide leaders are gaining floor of their efforts to return American society to the “good ole days” when White supremacy and Jim Crow served as the established order.
Organizers for this 12 months’s historic march have subsequently chosen to not return to D.C., however as a substitute to carry occasions in cities throughout the nation which have important Black populations.
Rev. Mark A. Thompson, a veteran political activist and civil rights organizer, will spearhead actions in New York Metropolis. He spoke with the AFRO forward of the anniversary occasions.
“We have now volunteers who’re planning and main occasions in cities that embody Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Newark, Atlanta, Phoenix, Dothan , Richmond, Dallas, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Akron, Canton , Wichita, Chattanooga, Jackson, Detroit and Chicago,” mentioned Thompson, who additionally serves the Nationwide Newspaper Publishers Affiliation as world digital transformation director.
Thompson was current on the unique march. He says the transfer to name Black males to indicate as much as Million Man March anniversary occasions in their very own areas was very strategic.
“All politics, all college boards, all election boards and all police departments are native. So, we’re following Malcolm X’s mantra–suppose globally and act regionally,” Thompson instructed the AFRO. “The problems addressed and occasions that may happen might be germane to every locality, however will even embody overarching points impacting Black males all through the nation.”
Thompson mentioned Black males will should be resolute of their convictions and keep in mind the pledge that they made 30 years in the past.
Credit score: All AFRO Photographs / J.D. Howard
Credit score: All AFRO Photographs / J.D. Howard
Credit score: All AFRO Photographs / J.D. Howard
Credit score: All AFRO Photographs / J.D. Howard
Credit score: All AFRO Photographs / J.D. Howard
Credit score: All AFRO Photographs / J.D. Howard
“White males have set themselves up as victims and are recruiting Black males into as we speak’s victimization tradition,” he mentioned. “However we’re not victims. We weren’t 30 years in the past, and we’re not victims as we speak. Once we gathered within the tens of millions in Washington, D.C., we stood up as males for atonement, reconciliation and to take accountability as males. That was the spirit of the March and that’s what we should give attention to as soon as once more.”
The esteemed scholar, professor of African research, and the founding father of Kwanzaa, Maulana Karenga, will function the convenor of actions in Los Angeles. Karenga, a key organizer of the 1995 Million Man March, helped to creator the occasion’s mission assertion and emphasised the necessity for Black males’s accountability and accountability.
Remembering the primary march
Although the march was for Black males, ladies performed vital roles within the occasion. Frances L. Murphy, II served because the treasurer.
Cora Masters Barry, former first woman of Washington, D.C., led voter registration efforts through the first march on the request of Farrakhan. She mentioned it was a wonderful day and hopes that those that take part on this 12 months’s occasions will keep in mind the historical past that was made then and what stays to be completed as we speak.
“Our nation has moved in such a manner that now we have little respect for marginalized communities, so the problems we face are broader than they had been 30 years in the past,” she mentioned. “Sure, we have to recommit ourselves to the pledge, nevertheless, we additionally must give attention to defending our rights and the freedoms now we have been promised below the structure.”
“It’s not simply freedom for Black women and men, however freedom for all Individuals,” she proceed. “We’ve acquired to construct coalitions and perceive that it’s not simply these of us with extra melanin – in America, the neighborhood of people is below assault.”
Occasions are deliberate throughout the U.S. to have a good time the Thirtieth anniversary of the Million Man March in October 2025. For extra data on anniversary occasions, please go to millionmanmarch2025.com.
Million Man March 2025 Occasions
CaliforniaLos Angeles
Million Man March ReunionDate: Oct. 16Time: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.Location: Kenneth Hahn Park4100 S. La Cienega Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90008
The Los Angeles Chapter of the Million Man March is holding its Thirtieth-year reunion to bolster the bond of household and neighborhood.
MarylandBaltimore
Dawn Prayer at Druid Hill ParkDate: Oct. 16 Time: 6 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.Location: Druid Hill Park900 Druid Park Lake Dr Baltimore, MD 21217
A dawn assembly for prayer is about to convey collectively intention and focus for the times’ occasions that are sponsored by the Baltimore Native Organizing Committee.
30 Years Later – A Love Letter to the Million Man MarchDate: Oct. 17Time: 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.Location: Coppin State College James Weldon Johnson Auditorium2500 West North Avenue #2500 Baltimore, MD 21216
Coppin State College will host “30 Years Later – A Love Letter to the Million Man March” at the James Weldon Johnson Auditorium. This stay storytelling occasion, directed by Marc Laveau, will commemorate the 1995 Million Man March and discover its lasting spirit, with co-sponsorship from the college’s Social Work division and the Dorothy Peak Heart.
Prince George’s County
State of Black America: The place We Have been, The place We Are, The place We Are Going
Date: Oct. 18Time: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.Location: Fairmont Heights Excessive Faculty Auditorium6501 Columbia Park RoadLandover, MD 20785
A particular discussion board, led by Prince George’s County Council Member At-Massive Calvin Hawkins, and Prince George’s Planning Board Chairman Darryl Barnes will happen in Prince George’s County on Oct. 18. The occasion will embody reflections on the unique Million Man March and solutions-oriented conversations about the way forward for Black America.
NevadaLas Vegas
The 1,000 Black Man March Date: Oct. 11 Time: 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.Location: Palacio Park951 W Lake Mead Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89106
The occasion goals to unite Black males and boys for inspiration and constructive neighborhood impression. A rally will observe from 1 – 5 p.m. on the MLK Statue in North Las Vegas.
PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia
Brotherly Motion 5K Stroll Date: Oct. 26Time: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Location: LOVE Park sixteenth Road and JFK BoulevardPhiladelphia, PA 19102
The Brotherly Motion 5K Stroll, organized by the Philly Truce Basis, features a stroll from North, South and West Philadelphia that converges at LOVE Park for the primary rally. The tribute goals to hold the spirit of the unique Million Man March ahead and promote unity and neighborhood motion.
The start line for males coming from North Philly is Broad St. and Girard Ave. at 7:30 a.m.
The start line for males coming from West Philly is Thirtieth St. and Market St. The March will go away from that location at 7:30 a.m.
The meet time for the South Philly start line, at Broad St. and Washington Ave., will even be 7:30 a.m.
The Million Man March Thirtieth Anniversary Tribute Program will start in Love Park at 10:30 a.m.
Washington D.C.
Lantern Peace Stroll Throughout eleventh StreetDate: Oct. 16Time: 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.Location: 1201 M. Road SEWashington, DC 20003
The stroll begins at 1201 M. Road SE and ends at Union Temple Baptist Church in historic Anacostia, commemorating the trail as soon as taken by historic figures and highlighting commitments to religion, unity, atonement and neighborhood.
Revive the Spirit of the Million Man March and Beloved Unifest Date: Oct. 18Time: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The occasion will happen at numerous neighborhood institutions within the Anacostia neighborhood together with Union Temple Baptist Church and is a celebration of D.C. tradition and neighborhood. It would characteristic meals, music and audio system to honor the legacy and message of the unique march, which emphasised unity, accountability and atonement.
