[Mb-civic] We (Still) Need More Than a March - Colbert I. King - Washington Post Op-Ed

[William Swiggard]

We (Still) Need More Than a March

By Colbert I. King
Saturday, October 15, 2005; Page A19

The Oct. 16, 1995, assembly was unlike any other ever held on the Mall. 
Hundreds of thousands of black men gathered under the banner of the 
Million Man March, publicly pledging to reconcile themselves to each 
other and to atone for the neglect of their families. They promised to 
focus on their obligations as providers for their children and builders 
of their communities. I was there on that beautiful fall day in my 
capacity as a journalist; Post policy disallowed any other role. But 
there was no way to remain unaffected by the sight of so many black men 
drawn together around such positive themes.

The major controversy leading up to the Million Man March centered on 
its sponsorship and the expected turnout. Mainstream black churches and 
civil rights organizations had withheld their endorsement of the event 
because Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan was the chief convener. 
Could he pull in a huge crowd without publicity in major news outlets 
and the support of religious leaders and old-line social service 
organizations?

The answers came by train, plane and automobile. The Mall was packed 
with African American men from across the socioeconomic spectrum. Yet 
they came to Washington not because of a call from the Nation of Islam. 
College presidents, lawyers and doctors -- and laborers, messengers and 
maintenance workers -- were there for a reason that strangers to black 
men would never understand: They came to assert their manhood and to 
unashamedly display brotherly affection.

Two weeks before the march, I asked in a column whether the event made 
sense beyond the symbolism of unity ["The Measure of the March," op-ed, 
Sept. 30, 1995]. "Time, not turnout, will be the ultimate test of that," 
I wrote. The turnout was indeed unbelievable, but what about the 
commitment to change?

 From the column: "If, say a year from now, reconciliations and 
marriages -- yes, marriages -- are up, crime and incarcerations are 
down, there are fewer kids in foster care and moms on welfare, more 
fathers are at home helping to raise their children, there is mutual 
respect among African Americans across income and class lines, and we 
are putting more money into good causes and less on our backs, then Oct. 
16 will have been the transforming phenomenon the sponsors hope it will be."

"If, however, things remain pretty much as they are, the march . . . 
will be just one more of those high-octane, emotionally gratifying, 
political, social and culturally must-do and be-seen-at events that 
black folks -- despite it all -- manage to pull off so well."

So here we are, a decade later. Another gathering on the Mall, this time 
dubbed the Millions More Movement. What has happened since that historic 
day of spiritual atonement?

Has respect for marriage been restored? Are more of our boys being 
raised into men who behave responsibly toward their families? Are we 
making the investments in family life that we pledged? Are more fathers 
staying with mothers? Are more of us accepting responsibility to be good 
husbands and fathers and builders of our community?

The answers vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and from city to 
city. This much is true: Those solemn pledges haven't been fulfilled in 
the nation's capital. True, some men have stepped up to the challenge 
and are making a difference in the lives of their loved ones. 
Neighborhood organizations, energized by the march, are still reaching 
out to reclaim young lives.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/14/AR2005101401559.html
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