Black Leaders Want New Million Man March

[RedEarth]

Black leaders called Monday for a rally in Washington this fall to mark the tenth anniversary of the Million Man March, this time including women.

Separately, the Anti-Defamation League criticized the lead role of organizer Louis Farrakhan. Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, appeared with former presidential candidates Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to announce the Millions More Movement in October.

It is billed as a more inclusive successor to the Million Man March, encouraging women and gays to attend.

Farrakhan, who has been accused of making anti-Semitic remarks in the past, issued a broad invitation that also took aim at the wealthy, his critics, and both political parties.

"Millions More means we're reaching for the millions who carry the rich on their backs," he said. He also used the sort of provocative language that has prompted past criticism.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050502/ap_on_re_us/million_man_march&printer=1

[captain crunch]

1. Are jews invited too?

[zanne]

3. What do you have against the Million Man March? n/t

[captain crunch]

6. huh????

[entanglement]

13. Those who oppose the March are best ignored n/t

[wicket]

20. I believe he/she is referring to the anti-semitic views of Louis Farrakhan

n/t

edited for spelling

[Ian David]

7. It says "MORE inclusive," not "COMPLETELY inclusive"

So I guess it would be "Calypso Louie's 1 Million Heterosexual-non-Jewish-Man March."








http://www.fadetoblack.com/farrakhan/albums.html

[Chicago Democrat]

9. Are white gay men allowed to march?

just wondering

[donheld]

12. Nation of Islam leader encourages gays to march

Jen Christensen, Gay.com/PlanetOut.com Network
Thursday 3 March, 2005 12:09 | More from this date | Today's headlines


http://uk.gay.com/headlines/7582


Controversial Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan wants gay people to march in the 10th anniversary commemoration of the Million Man March in the US this October.

Farrakhan made the announcement Saturday to a crowd of about 2,000 people at the sixth annual State of the Black Union symposium in the US state of Georgia. The assembly of black leaders gathered to discuss race relations and proposed political goals. They also met to put together what the group called an African-American contract.

The contract would be something leaders of the community could present to politicians, so the politicians know best how to court the African-American community's vote.

[BrainRants]

2. How about us white middle class guys?

I definitely meet the criteria of "reaching for the millions who carry the rich on their backs"

[captain crunch]

4. You gotta love this guy.....

"If anybody deserves to strap a bomb on themselves and give pain for the pain we have suffered, it is we.
Niiice......

[entanglement]

5. This is a great idea

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I also like the fact that its more inclusive this time around, with women and gays.

And ADL and Fauxman can go fuck themselves!

[dissent1977]

8. How about the million human march?

I think it is important to get the civil rights movement moving again, but in order to do so they need to make the movement more inclusive. One way to do that would be to change the name of the event to include everyone. I want to see this event happen, but I worry about giving Farrakhan too much of a role in the event. He is too sexist for my tastes, and any event he is too closely associated with is going to turn off a lot of people who are genuinely concerned with civil rights.

[Chicago Democrat]

10. I have real doubts too

There are good and bad things about the Nation of Islam, just like any organization. On balance... a good influence.


Gives youths self respect, discipline and an alternative view.


But, anti-white, anti-Jewish and the whole idea of Black Nationalism is nutty to me. This is the UNITED states.

[Ian David]

11. See also:

The Day I Hugged Louis Farrakhan
By Keith Boykin
March 3, 2005 05:32 AM

<snip>

At first it seemed the real value of the day was that Long was forced to defend his positions in his own church before members of his own congregation, but there were other stunning developments as well. During a press conference with the panelists, Minister Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, announced that women and gays would be encouraged to participate in the 10th anniversary observance of the Million Man March to be held this October. “The makeup will be our people, whoever we are,” said Farrakhan. “Male, female, gay, straight, light, dark, rich, poor, ignorant, wise.” Farrakhan added, “We are family. We will be coming together to discuss family business.”

<snip>

After the press conference, I went up to Farrakhan backstage and I introduced myself. “Minister Farrakhan,” I said, while shaking his hand, “My name is Keith Boykin, and I am a black gay man. And I want to thank you for your inclusive comments about gays in the Million Man March.” Without missing a beat, Farrakhan responded to me with a long, warm embrace. “Brother, I love you,” he said as we hugged. “We are all part of the family. We are all part of the same community.” This from the same leader who had once seemed to advocate death to gays. That historic encounter marked a dramatic shift in the Nation of Islam’s long troubled relationship with the LGBT community. If Louis Farrakhan can grow and evolve, there is hope for the rest of black America too.

See this classic Aesop Fable, The Scorpion and the Frog
http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/cgi/aesop1.cgi?4&TheScorpionandtheFrog


There were other breakthroughs that day. Rev. Jackson aptly summed up the problem and the challenge for black America in his remarks. “Last time in 2004 a number of blacks got distracted by non-budget, private morality issues rather than public policy issues,” he said. Jackson dismissed the ridiculous antigay argument made by some black preachers that gays did not have to sit in the back of the bus as blacks did. “There were gay whites and gay blacks in Jim Crow,” he said. “The gay whites didn’t have to sit in the back of the bus, nor march for the right to vote,” he said, but black gays did.

For his part, Professor Michael Eric Dyson cited the contributions of black gays and lesbians like James Baldwin and Audre Lorde who had helped to shape the civil rights movement. And Dyson, Jackson and I delivered our remarks in the middle of a black Baptist church with a public reputation for homophobia.

More:
http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/001331.html

If I may place the cynical tinfoil hat upon my own head:

Liberals support the rights of all people, including minorities-- Black, Muslim, Gay, etc.
There has also been a schism within the Liberal movement over the issue of Israel.
Which group looks like it will not be reperesnted at The next Million March?

[Ian David]

14. ADL Urges African-American Leaders to Reconsider Their Support for Million

Press Release Anti-Semitism: USA
ADL Urges Prominent African-American Leaders to Reconsider Their Support for the "Millions More Movement"

New York, NY, May 2, 2005 … Saddened and disheartened by their possible involvement in the "Millions More Movement", the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is urging prominent African-American leaders to reconsider their support for the march and its anti-Semitic organizers, Minister Louis Farrakhan and Malik Zulu Shabazz. Organizers have scheduled a news conference today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to discuss plans for the October 14-16 march, which will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 1995 Million Man March on Washington.

In a letter to more than 30 prominent Black leaders listed as supporting the march, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Julian Bond, Rev. Floyd Flake and U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, ADL said that the involvement of two longtime anti-Semites – Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, and Shabazz, head of the New Black Panther Party – was "especially disturbing."

"While its stated goal of bringing together the African-American community is laudable, the involvement of Minister Louis Farrakhan and Malik Zulu Shabazz as co-conveners of the March taints the proceeding with the baggage of anti-Semitism and hate," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "When will someone in the African-American community stand up and say that the Million Man March had a positive message, but the pied piper is a racist and anti-Semite?"

While insisting that he has changed, Minister Farrakhan has never renounced his long record of anti-Semitism and continues to make outrageous statement about Jews, said ADL's letter. Shabazz likewise has a history of anti-Semitic rhetoric, most recently telling a university audience that Jews bear special responsibility for the slave trade and consider Blacks to be "cursed."

"We cannot understand why good people continue to tolerate this outrage of anti-Semitic views and behavior," said Mr. Foxman. It seems there is a line of denial – indeed a blind spot among many – within the African-American community when it comes to anti-Semitism."

ADL's 2005 Survey of Attitudes Towards Jews in America found that while the number of Americans with anti-Semitic views remains at historic lows, still as much as 36 percent of African-Americans continue to hold strongly anti-Semitic views – a finding consistent with past surveys.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

See also:


Why Jews Shouldn't Meet With Farrakhan
The National Director of the Anti-Defamation League explains why Jews should not engage in a dialogue with Louis Farrakhan
http://www.adl.org/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=21&EXTRA_ARG=&CFGNAME=MssFind%2Ecfg&host_id=42&page_id=5047296&query=Farrakhan&hiword=FARRAKHANIN+Farrakhan+FARRAKHANS+

ADL Says Don't be Duped by Farrakhan's "Outreach" to Jews; Calls W. D. M...
ADL Says Don't be Duped by Farrakhan's
http://www.adl.org/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=21&EXTRA_ARG=&CFGNAME=MssFind%2Ecfg&host_id=42&page_id=7144192&query=Farrakhan&hiword=FARRAKHANIN+Farrakhan+FARRAKHANS+

Financing Farrakhan's Ministry of Hate PDF
Federal Funds for Nation of Islam Security Firms
http://www.adl.org/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=21&EXTRA_ARG=&CFGNAME=MssFind%2Ecfg&host_id=42&page_id=6884352&query=Farrakhan

FOCUS ON NATION OF ISLAM
For more than a decade, ADL has exposed the racism and anti-Semitism of the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan. The Nation of Islam (NOI) first garnered mainstream media attention in 1983 when Louis Farrakhan offered vocal support for the P...
http://www.adl.org/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=21&EXTRA_ARG=&CFGNAME=MssFind%2Ecfg&host_id=42&page_id=5112064&query=Farrakhan&hiword=FARRAKHANIN+Farrakhan+FARRAKHANS+

[chlamor]

15. kick

[brettdale]

16. Heres hoping a million Black men and woman march

Right to the white house with banners saying "Stolen Election" of course the media would say the crowd was only a few thousand.

[Voltaire99]

17. Good idea.

The economic justice themes are very welcome.

If the Democratic Party would stop sucking at the teat of corporations, it could steal this thunder. Sages like Thomas Frank have counseled it to make economic populism its platform. But, stupidly and greedily, it won't.

And for the record: Farrakhan's past racism will always make him suspect. I still recall his anti-Semitic foulness from the 80s, and will never trust him. But he has changed enough of his tune to be acceptable, and he is speaking usefully now to the problems facing all of us.

[captain crunch]

18. kick

[wicket]

19. Can white women march too?

n/t