Man March

Mid-afternoon on Oct. 16, director Marion McClinton headed to Washington for the Million Man March. Center Stage couldn't find him, he says with a grin. "I had a day of absence."The phrase "day of absence" is one that was used by Louis Farrakhan in calling for the march. Its origin, however, is the title .. of the play McClinton is directing at Center Stage, Douglas Turner Ward's "Day of Absence."A broad farce about what happens in a small Southern town when all the black residents leave for a day, "Day of Absence" was written in 1965.

Jobs needed for black youthI am a 64-year-old black woman and have spent the majority of my adult life in Baltimore.While I applaud the Million Man March, what is really needed is not self-awareness by black men but a heightened consciousness by our legislators and civic leaders that black boys need ways to get off the streets. Opportunities for work must be created -- something in the nature of a civic conservation camp -- to put all these young, impressionable children to work.Drugs are plaguing our black youth but where do these drugs come from?

The message of "giving back" that resounded at the Million Man March was a sweet note in Lonnie J. Carr's ears.As president of 100 Black Men of Maryland, Mr. Carr has been preaching the sermon that successful African-Americans ought to go into depressed communities and lend a hand.But the march gave the sermon a wider, more captive audience."It's sent a message we've always sent to the African-American community," said Mr. Carr, whose organization was formed in 1991 and encourages men to help disadvantaged city youths by helping them academically and taking them to cultural and sporting events.

Citing the influence of the recent Million Man March, urban radio station WXYV-FM (102.9) says it will no longer play songs with lyrics that are derogatory to women, and is asking listeners to offer their opinions on the policy."

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.

An array of African-American community leaders exhorted a gathering of male high school students last night to study their culture's history, take advantage of educational opportunities and assume responsibility for their lives.The Summit for Young Males, held at Carver Vocational-Technical High School in West Baltimore and attended by about 150 students and adults, was an attempt to capitalize on the spirit and euphoria of the Oct. 16 Million Man March in Washington, organizers said."Take what you get and be responsible for yourself because we've gotten away from being responsible for ourselves," said True Asiatic Allah, project coordinator for the Male Involvement Project at St. Bernardine's Head Start Center.

NATION OF ISLAM leader Louis Farrakhan is trying his best to use the Million Man March as a springboard. He wants to be acknowledged as THE black leader. But while Mr. Farrakhan may have gained new respect from African Americans and others initially skeptical about the march, that does not mean he should now be treated like an incarnation of Martin Luther King.Many marchers went to Washington wishing it had been planned by someone other than Mr. Farrakhan. Most left the event heartened by what had transpired and giving credit to Mr. Farrakhan for having conceived the idea, but no more willing to be counted as followers of the NOI leader than they were before.

"Race, Gender, and Power in America," by Anita Faye Hill and Emma Coleman Jordan. New York: Oxford University Press. 302 pages. $25It was coincidence that the new book about black women and feminism co-edited by Anita Hill hit the bookstores just 11 days before the Million Man March on Washington. But the timing couldn't have been better.In fact, Julianne Malveaux, a harsh critic of the males-only march idea of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, wrote the foreword to "Race, Gender, and Power in America: The Legacy of the Hill-Thomas Hearings."

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.

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.