[Mb-civic] A Decade Later, Marchers Look for More - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

A Decade Later, Marchers Look for More
Thousands of Blacks Gather on the Mall to Show Unity -- and Seek New 
Inspiration

By Robert E. Pierre and Hamil R. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, October 16, 2005; Page A01

This time, a decade later, the people came not just to make a statement, 
but to look for a little inspiration and guidance.

Aquil Malik brought a handful of teenagers from Newark, N.J., where he 
is trying to keep them from descending into the life of violence that 
landed him in prison for robbery and murder. "I came here to see what 
other groups are doing," said Malik, a car salesman who finished serving 
his term right after the Million Man March in 1995. "I need to take 
something back home."
    Thousands of men, women and children gathered on the National Mall 
for the Millions More Movement. Although the crowd was not as large as 
the hundreds of thousands at the Million Man March a decade ago, leaders 
said the success of the day could not be measured by numbers.

The Rev. George Allen Jr. of Charlotte came to yesterday's event, known 
as the Millions More Movement, looking for a recharge. He said 
prostitutes nearly took over his neighborhood before he began knocking 
on the windows of their clients, catching them in the act. He got the 
inspiration to do so from the Million Man March, becoming "an army of 
one," he said. Now, "It's time for things to come together," said Allen, 
saying he wanted less talk and more action.

On the Mall for the anniversary of the Million Man March, tens of 
thousands of African Americans came seeking something -- a handshake, a 
plan, a little encouragement -- to take home with them to help improve 
their lives and lives in their communities. Recommendations they heard 
from the dais included pooling their resources, buying from black 
businesses, mentoring young people and organizing to pressure political 
leaders.

Families sprawled on blankets and cardboard boxes and sat attentively as 
dozens of speakers offered advice on how to organize to protest police 
brutality and to oppose government policies that keep many blacks poor 
and out of work. Organizers and participants said the success of the 
event depends on whether black people devote their money and their time 
to promote lasting change.

"The measure of this day is not today," said Nation of Islam leader and 
event organizer Louis Farrakhan, who called on people to donate money to 
help spur change. "The measure of this day will be determined by what we 
do tomorrow to create a movement, a real movement among our people."

Al Sharpton underscored that theme, saying that the 1963 March on 
Washington, at which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I 
Have a Dream" speech, should be used as a guide. After the Million Man 
March, voter registration and volunteerism rose but no lasting movement 
evolved, leaders acknowledged.

"What made the 1963 march is that we passed the 1964 civil rights 
bills," Sharpton said. "The success of this march will be that we take 
charge of our communities and make a difference in the [2006] elections."

The 1995 gathering was billed as being for men, although women spoke 
from the dais and were sprinkled throughout the crowd. But this time, 
families attended and many groups of women came to the rally without 
men. The 12-hour event ended with Farrakhan, who spoke about 80 minutes. 
The Mall was mostly quiet, although the vendors' area was filled with 
gospel and hip-hop music and people hawking their T-shirts, CDs and 
other souvenirs.

The crowd appeared decidedly smaller than in 1995, when hundreds of 
thousands showed up. Participants yesterday who also attended the 1995 
event said they hoped to rekindle the spirit of the Million Man March. 
But there was little of the back-slapping reunion feel of a decade ago, 
or the constant focus on the number of attendees.

Farrakhan refused to speculate on how many people attended. But 
authorities at the scene -- who spoke on the condition of anonymity 
because they do not officially give crowd counts -- said they estimated 
that about 100,000 people attended.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/15/AR2005101501588.html?nav=hcmodule
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