Million Man March theme fails to capture black family’s top concern
Ican’t say the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March planned for this weekend in Washington slipped up on me. knew it was coming. But I had little interest in trying to resurrect a movement that has proven ineffective when it comes to addressing black-on-black violence.
While the theme for the historic gathering, “Justice or Else,” strikes the right tone given the number of controversial police-involved shootings, the demand fails to capture a black family’s most pressing concern: the daily violence that is threatening their future.
Police-involved murders are negligible compared with the thousands of black men, women and children who have been gunned down by black men since the 1995 march.
Yet, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is asking black men to come to the nation’s capital to demand justice for a host of ills directed at African-Americans.
Ishmael Muhammad, a son of Elijah Muhammad and Nation of Islam leader Farrakhan’s assistant, was headed to D.C. when I caught up with him on Wednesday.
“This is, of course, different from 20 years ago. The hope is that as the minister [Farrakhan] has called for all of those who come to Washington to be of a sober mind and serious mind about pressing a demand on the U.S. government and putting the power of our unity behind that demand to force the government to give us what we deserve. Justice is what we have been denied,” Muhammad said, noting that African-Americans struggle on “two fronts.”
“We are not going to Washington to make a demand on the government as if we have done everything that needs to be done and should be done to stop the senseless violence. We will be making a demand on ourselves and renewing the pledge of 20 years ago,” he said.
Tio Hardiman, the former president of Cease Fire Illinois who now heads up Violence Interrupters NFP, said he hopes to catch a late flight to Washington on Friday night.
“I am hoping the minister will address black-on-black violence because he has the reach to unify African-American people,” he said.
“It is incumbent upon black men to stop the killing in the black community,” Hardiman said.
There’s no question Chicago has had its share of controversial police-involved shootings or that mass incarceration has destroyed black families and black communities. But 80 percent of the shootings in Chicago take place in predominantly African-American neighborhoods.
We have to find ways to change the hearts and minds of young men who do not value their own lives or the lives of others.
Kim Dulaney, an African-American Studies professor at Chicago State University, tried to take a busload of gang members to the anniversary march, hoping they would be persuaded to leave the violence behind.
“A lot of street guys were interested in going, but we weren’t able to make that happen. I think people are not as hopeful as they were the first time. People just don’t know what can help,” Dulaney said.
Unfortunately, it was too late to assemble a team of men to help supervise the young men during the trip.
Still, Hardiman said he believes if anyone can bring peace to the black community, it would be Farrakhan.
If that’s the case, the anniversary march should have been in Chicago.
Because this is a situation where charity truly begins at home.