The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Million Man March anniversary inspires memories
‘Justice or Else’ event set today at National Mall.
WASHINGTON — The Million Man March is remembered by many who were there as a watershed event, despite the fact that its impact on the way America regards African-American men remains an open question 20 years later.
Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of men, most of them black, congregated peacefully on the National Mall, applauding, cheering, testifying, promising they would work for a better future for themselves and their families.
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who led the first Million Man March, will commemorate that event today with a “Justice or Else” march on the National Mall. The goal, organizers say, is to incorporate calls for justice for the current deadly shootings mostly of black men with the anniversary of the original gathering.
Attention has been focused on the relationship of African-American men with the police and law enforcement since the fatal shootings of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012 in Florida and 18-year-old Michael Brown in 2014 in Ferguson, Mo., giving rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Even though, if you talk about 2015, we’ve had some problems — a lot of problems in this past year — I think that since the first Million Man March a lot has happened, things have moved forward and I’m looking forward to seeing us do some of the remaining things that need to be done,” said Harvard professor Charles Ogletree, who attended the original march with his son back on Oct. 16, 1995.
Millions watched live coverage of the 1995 march on television as Farrakhan and other civil rights leaders spoke about increasing pride and responsibility and condemned racial stereotypes about black men.
Immediately afterward, organizers said that around 1.7 million black men registered to vote and participation by black men in social and civic organizations skyrocketed. The National Park Service estimated the attendance at around 400,000, but subsequent counts by private organizations put the number at 800,000 or higher.