Summary
According to the Million Man March 10th Anniversary Statement, delivered by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the movement intends "to mobilize and organize our people nationally, and, put systems in place that will permit a successful programmatic thrust to bring to fruition what we envision for ourselves and our people."
Thousands gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 15, 2005, to take part in the Millions More Movement, marking the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March.
National President of the New Black Panther Party Malik Shabazz raises his fist as he walks with his members at the Millions More Movement.
People cheer during activities on the National Mall for the Millions More Movement in Washington.
The crowd on Saturday was significantly smaller than the hundreds of thousands that attended the Million Man March in 1995. Authorities estimated that 100,000 people gathered for the anniversary event.
From the Washington Post:
As opposed to the 1995 event, the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women and the Urban League supported this gathering. Speaker Kweisi Mfume, former chairman of the NAACP and a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Maryland, said yesterday that "we understand that any bigotry is bad. We also understand that the time for action is now."
The day was not without dissension. A rift widened between march organizers and members of the gay community. One gay group said it had been promised a coveted speaking slot but was not allowed to speak, and a ruckus resulted in the VIP section where speakers assembled.
A constant of the day was criticism of the Bush administration -- from leaders and from crowd members who held signs that said, "Bush Lied, People Died" and charged that the government is insensitive to the needs of black people. Hurricane Katrina, in particular, drew concern from several black leaders, who contended that the federal response to the disaster would have been quicker if most of the residents waiting to be rescued in New Orleans had been white instead of black.
Farrakhan reiterated questions about whether the government was culpable in the breaching of the levees that flooded 80 percent of New Orleans.
"We charge America with criminal neglect," said Farrakhan, adding that lawyers need to look into filing a "class action suit on behalf of those who have suffered." He also said that as the Iraqi people went to the polls to vote on a new constitution, there should be "regime change" in the United States for lying about the reason for going to war.
Earlier in the day, Malik Zulu Shabazz, chairman of the New Black Panther Party, accused President Bush of "drowning the people of New Orleans and sabotaging the levees" and said that "the real gangsters operate out of CIA headquarters." His comments drew rousing applause.
Speeches and music started about 5:30 a.m. and continued throughout the day. The crowd, initially sparse, grew as the event went on.
From the Associated Press:
Americans frustrated by the slow response to victims of Hurricane Katrina should channel their energy to changing their communities, Jesse Jackson told thousands gathered Saturday for the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March.
"We need millions more to act and react to what we saw in the gulf," the civil rights leader said. "Images were burned into our consciousness."
...Dozens of speakers _ academics, activists and media pundits _ took the microphone at the National Mall for a few minutes each. A speaker from a black gay group, added to the roster at the last minute, also spoke.
...The Rev. Al Sharpton, a former presidential candidate, criticized President Bush for the war in Iraq and the response to the devastation of Katrina.
"Broken levees are weapons of mass destruction," Sharpton said.
..Jackson, the president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, told the crowd Saturday that "a barge in the canal hit the levee and the waters came rushing in," but he did not elaborate on whether he believed this may have been deliberate.
The idea of taking responsibility and working together to better conditions for the poor and suffering is a noble one. I support that whole-heartedly.
With hard work and determination, opportunities for achievement are limitless. The mindset that it's possible to accomplish great things and realize one's goals if one strives to attain them is the foundation of America--the Land of Opportunity.
To the extent that the Millions More Movement promotes the idea of personal responsibility and self-determination, I think it has the potential to do positive things and to be empowering.
Unfortunately, the agenda pushed by many of the major speakers and members of the crowd was far from positive.
The rhetoric of some of the African American leaders was irresponsible and reckless. Their race-baiting was shameless.
Is that what the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women and the Urban League are about?
These groups had no problem being associated with Malik Zulu Shabazz, a man who accused Bush of "drowning the people of New Orleans and sabotaging the levees."
These groups stood shoulder to shoulder with Louis Farrakhan. He said at the event that America needed to be charged with "criminal neglect," and he suggested filing a class action suit.
Farrakhan and Shabazz continue to suggest that the levees in New Orleans were intentionally damaged by the U.S. government. They depict the Bush administration as a murderous regime, the enemy of African Americans.
Al Sharpton's imagery of the levees being "weapons of mass destruction" alludes to the same sinister claims.
That is absolutely disgusting.
Judging from what the speakers at the event had to say, the Millions More Movement is founded on lies. Its message is negative, divisive and dangerous.
Sharpton had the audacity to draw parallels between the 1963 March on Washington and the Millions More Movement. When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, over forty years ago, his message reverberated throughout the nation because he tapped into the better nature of people.
Obviously, at least some of the speakers at Saturday's event didn't hesitate to disgrace the memory of Dr. King by rejecting his example and choosing to propagate hate.
Something tells me Louis Farrakhan's birthday will never be observed as a national holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment