This year marked the 20th anniversary of the famous million man march in Washington, D.C. The original march happened on Oct. 16, 1995. It was called by Minister Louis Farrakhan. The first walk included over one million black men who descended on D.C. to listen to speakers, share stories and revive their inner black pride. This was a time for us as a community to recognize our own faults, embrace one another during the tough times of racial tension and accept any future challenges that the black community may face as a whole. It was a great way to educate oneself on the affairs of a minority community instead of allowing the media to shape visual perceptions.
The 20th anniversary march was called “Justice or Else.” The march reached out to many different ethnicities such as Native American, Latino and many others minorities. Police brutality, quality of education, mass incarceration and an array of other issues were addressed at the march as people watched in awe when many speakers tackled these difficult topics.
It is no secret that African American males have a higher incarceration rate than any other race in America. It is no secret there is high tension between police officers and African Americans. It is no secret that in our nation education is placed at the bottom of political agendas. It seems as though America would rather build more prisons than schools and that is a big problem.
The Huffington Post published an article last October that read, according to the Center on Budget and Public Policy, “states were still spending the same amount on corrections as they did in the mid-1980s, adjusted for inflation, they would have about $28 billion more available each year for education and other productive investments.”
Names like Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and many others have made national news after being killed at the hands of unjust police officers. Tensions between the African American community and police have always been high due to generations of profiling, beatings and lynching of black people throughout the time of American history. There has always been a distrust in those who we entrust with our safety and well being. Avoiding talking about issues has never fixed anything and it never will.
Due to these injustices and unfortunate incidents of hate and racism, this year’s speakers made it a point to not stay silent. There is a need to remove corrupt cops from police forces all around the nation. Minister Louis Farrakhan was quoted in an article by CNN saying, “We who are getting older… what good are we if we do not prepare young people to carry that torch of liberation to the next step? What good are we if we think we can last forever and not prepare others to walk in our footsteps?”
What he said is absolutely correct. It is up to us, the new generation, to take action and take the torch in order to weed out the injustices done to people. Think of it like this, if you are not one to stand up for someone else’s cause why would they fight for your rights?
People feel if large groups of African Americans come together something bad will always happen but the Million Man March proves differently. For 20 years our community has come together to speak about things affecting our community and how we should work on it. Things take time to change and if you look at how African American men and women are graduating at higher numbers each year, you will notice changes are taking place.
We need to honor one another as we climb the mountain of progress and attempt to achieve the many goals we set for ourselves. Our community should not allow grievances from the past to hinder our coming together. The Million Man March will always be a success in my eyes. It gives older generations the chance to educate younger generations on knowledge that needs to be heard about how to better one’s life and avoid obstacles that many of us will face in our future. The Million Man March is something every person should experience regardless of color. The words of empowerment spoken at that rally can be used for any humans life.
