Man March

It was with mixed feelings that I settled into my seat at the Security Square movie complex. I was there to see Spike Lee's "Get on the Bus," the director's film based on last year's Million Man March.I've had some troubles with Spike Lee's films. Only two -- "Do The Right Thing" and "Crooklyn" -- might be classified as exceptional. In "Jungle Fever," Lee put the major climax in the minor plot and the minor climax in the major plot and then groused when no one gave him an award for this foolishness.

Million Man March was a brilliant ideaAs a Jew and a thinking reader, I was outraged by Daniel Berger's one-liner, Oct. 16, pegging all who support the Million Man March as followers of Louis Farrakhan.By casting the issue in the stark fashion he did, Mr. Berger did more to hand Mr. Farrakhan his victory than anyone attending the march could.Like any Jews and people of all races, I abhor the hatred and blame and racism which characterize Mr. Farrakhan's approach.I could never support his vicious prejudices about my people nor accept the claims he makes about separatism and hostility as the way toward freedom.

Members of the Eastern Shore's African-American community returned from Monday's Million Man March filled with a spirit of exhilaration.But that emotional high was dampened with the news the next day that a Maryland state trooper had been shot and killed in their community, and two black men were charged with the crime.Troubled by the violent act and its repercussions, the Wicomico County NAACP is calling on members of the African-American community, particularly those who attended the march in Washington, to assemble on the steps of Salisbury's city hall today before the funeral for the trooper, Tfc. Edward A. Plank Jr., as a sign of respect for his family and to stand against drugs and violence.

The anonymous distributor of a racist flier might have the same goal as a South Carroll group trying to stop a proposed 250-unit rental townhouse development in Eldersburg.But the motivation is different, say the leaders."As soon as I got it, I threw it in the trash," said Kathleen Horneman, a neighborhood activist with South Carroll Community Coalition. "My reaction was pretty typical of everyone else. I would love to know what type of sick mind generated it, but maybe I don't want to know, because it could be one of my neighbors."

MEMORIES of the acrimony that preceded the Million Man March of 1995 have blurred. Fears raised by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's plans for that mass rally are not recalled as vividly as stories of the harmonious event that took place.Years hence, will that also be the case with the Million Youth March to be held this weekend in Harlem? One can only hope.New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani tried to withhold a parade permit for the march, organized by former Nation of Islam henchman Khalid Abdul Muhammad, whose anti-Semitic rhetoric was deplored even by Mr. Farrakhan.

A taste of home is sweet, indeed, for one participantCleveland Walton hadn't bitten off a mouthful of raw sugar cane in years. So when he saw stalks for sale yesterday in the concession area on Constitution Ave, he bought two and started peeling and chewing as he walked, letting the sweet juice drip down his chin.The 24-year-old student at Case Western Reserve University was raised in the Virgin Islands and was pleasantly surprised to find a touch of home.Attendees could find a variety of products for sale.

It was a tremendous honor for me to participate in the Million Man March.Throughout the summer I heard men on the street, in the barber shops and at their places of work talk about the Million Man March. Many debated whether they would attend and whether it was worth all the effort.As the march drew closer, there seemed to be a growing consensus that this was going to be a historic event and one of the most positive developments for African-American men in this century. I decided to go because I sensed the march's potential to renew the spirit of self-determination that is often an overlooked hallmark of our history.

Million Man March sent strong messagesNever before in the history of America have we witnessed so large a number of African-American males gathered together in a single, positive arena and covered by the national communications media.We typically see in the media the depiction of African-American males engaged only in negative activity. They are shown hand-cuffed, behind prison bars or dead as sheet-covered or chalk-outlined forms on the ground.However, history was made on Oct 16. Not only were marchers depicted in a positive, non-violent forum, they were united from all geographic areas of the country, and from eclectic socio-economic backgrounds.

Maryland organizers of the Million Man March are talking big numbers."We expect every African-American man to be in that march," said the Rev. John L. Wright, the march's state organizer. "It's an act of God."Mr. Wright predicts that 200,000 African-American men from Maryland will trek to Washington Oct. 16 to participate in the event, which is being promoted as a "day of atonement" that will display unity and economic strength.It remains to be seen whether organizers can approach Mr. Wright's goal, which would be more than one-third of Maryland's African-American men counted in the 1990 national census.

We black Americans seem to need a major event or outrage every so often to revive our mass energies in ways that remind us of the 1960s civil rights movement. In the 1980s, we had mass arrests at the South African embassy to protest apartheid. In the 1990s, there was the Million Man March to redeem black fatherhood and proper role modeling. In 2007, we have the "Jena 6." Thousands flowed by the busload into tiny Jena, La., last week. They came to march on behalf of six black youths who were originally charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating up a white youth last December at the local high school in what many describe as a schoolyard fight.