By Mary Alice Miller

On October 19, the Nation of Islam mosques across the country set aside time to celebrate 30 years since the Million Man March. Brooklyn’s Mohammad Mosque #7C, hosted by Min. Henry Muhammad, was no exception.

Mosque Maryam, the National Center of the Nation of Islam, livestreamed the event.
“It was 30 years ago on October 16, 1995, that as the sun rose on the mall in Washington, D.C., one million Black men were standing together in unity, willing to sacrifice their lives and their time, based on the principles of freedom, justice and equality,” said Student Min. Brother Daniel Muhammad, opening the event.

“On that day we were no longer divided by religion, by class, by organization, nor by geographical location. We all came together, the Black, the brown, the Christian, the Muslim, the white collar, the blue collar, the celebrity, the lay person… all of these different factions were united on this day 30 years ago.”

Sister Asia Muhammad said, “The Million Man March was not just for the men. some of us might have thought it was a march just for the men. And there were some people who were concerned that it was biased against women and strictly for the men. This is not the case. As we are taught in the Nation of Islam that a nation can rise no higher than its women. Women were in full support and present at the Million Man March.

There were many women who helped in the process of organizing. Sister Cora Masters Barry was present, Sister Dorothy Height, Sister Betty Shabazz, Sister Dr. Maya Angelou, Sister Queen Mother Moor, Min. Mother Tinetta Muhammad, Student Min. Ava Muhammad, and our First Lady Mother Kadija Farrakhan.
The Million Man March was never an effort to step away from women, it was an effort to step towards women.”

Brother Ishmael Muhammad, Student National Assistant to the Honorable Min. Louis Farrakhan, gave an eyewitness account of what he called “the greatest assembly of men in the history of the world.”
Min. Muhammad described the social, political, and economic conditions gave rise to the Million Man March 30 years ago.

“The fratricidal conflict raging within our communities, the crime, the violence, the degenerate cultural image of our men that was being displayed throughout the world by the media, the Minister felt that the Black community was being set up for destruction,” said Min. Muhammad. “The world was seeing us as a savage people, unworthy of life, and the media’s portrayal of Black men was justified.”

Min. Muhammad continued, “What we see now happening on our streets, Farrakhan warned us that federal troops, soldiers, officers would be coming into our communities. They are coming in to not just arrest, detain our brothers and sisters from Venezuela, Mexico and other Latin American countries, but now they use that as a pretext. It’s a pretext to come in now and break down the doors of our homes, arrest us on the street.”

Min. Muhammad said, “The Minister, with the Million Man March, wanted to change that image and give the world a vastly different image of the Black male who has been made other than himself. We have been made by circumstances what we did not create: thugs, gang bangers, killers, murderers, thieves, robbers, hustlers, liars, abusers of our women and irresponsible fathers.”

Min. Ismael Muhammad gave a detailed history of the lead up to the Million Man March, then introduced Minister Louis Farrakhan’s speech at the Million Man March.
Farrakhan’s words of atonement, reconciliation, and responsibility were on point then and prescient for today.

The Minister explained the eight point actions of atonement and reconciliation: 1) point out the wrong done; 2) acknowledge it; 3) confess it to God and the person(s) you wronged; 4) repent; 5) atone and make amends; 6) forgiveness; 7) reconciliation and restoration; and 8) perfect union with God.

Closing the Million Man March, Farrakhan gave marching orders to those assembled and those watching.
He called for Black men to go back to their communities and join an organization that is working on the uplift of Black people. Farrakhan asked them to join a church, mosque, temple, etc. for moral and spiritual renewal. He called for 8 million eligible Black people to register to vote.

Farrakhan asked the assembled to join Father Clemens idea of going into a prison and adopt an incarcerated person for the rest of their life by writing to and visiting them to help them reintegrate into society.
On behalf of Mr. Dunston, president of Black Social Workers, Farrakhan called on Black men to adopt 25,000 Black children in need of adoption. Farrakhan called for the formation of a Board to develop a national economic development fund to nurture businesses in the Black community.

To thwart distrust and promote transparency of the use of money donated on the mall that day, Farrakhan called for an outside independent accounting firm to scrutinize every dollar.
Farrakhan closed the Million Man March with a pledge that from this day forward to love my brother as I love myself; will strive to improve myself spiritually, morally, mentally, socially, politically, and economically for the benefit of myself, my family and my people; will strive to build business, houses, hospitals, factories, and enter into international trade for the good of myself, my family, and my people; will never raise my hand with a knife or a gun to beat, cut, or shoot any member of my family or any human being except in self-defense; never abuse my wife by striking her, disrespecting her, for she is the mother of my children and the producer of my future; will never engage in the abuse of children, little boys or little girls for sexual gratification, but I will let them grow in peace to be strong men and women for the future of our people; will never again use the B-word to describe any female but particularly my own Black sister; will not poison my body with drugs or that which is destructive to my health and my well-being; will support Black newspapers, Black radio, Black television, Black artists who clean up their acts to show respect for themselves and their people and the ears of the human family; I will do all of this so help me God.