THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 9, 1995 TAG: 9510090028
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 185 lines
A month ago, Michael Boykins and Larry Divens were just two strangers who used the same Granby Street bus stop.
That was until Boykins tapped Divens on the arm and asked him the question many African-American men have been batting around lately: ``Are you going to the Million Man March?''
Divens said yes. Boykins is going, too.
``At first, I didn't pay attention to the march,'' Boykins says.
``But as Larry and I talked about it day after day, I began to see a real relevance. It makes you think about what your personal responsibility is to the community. Larry and I have become good friends out of this and are thinking of ways to work together to do more.''
March organizers hope to bring 1 million black men to Washington on Monday, Oct. 16. The men will converge on the Mall to demand more responsibility from themselves and the government, and pledge to take better care of their women, families and communities.
Local coordinators estimate that a convoy of 30 to 40 buses with Hampton Roads marchers will make the trip to Washington. Other marchers, including Boykins and Divens, will drive on their own to the national rally.
The Million Man March has the potential for marking a new stage in black Americans' quest for freedom and prosperity.
For most of this century, they have focused on civil rights, integration and, most recently, affirmative action. Boycotts and sit-ins in the '50s and '60s, for example, helped destroy Jim Crow segregation. The 1963 March on Washington, in which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his ``I have a dream'' speech, pushed for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Million Man March, however, focuses the effort inward, exhorting African-American men to create their own economic opportunities, to work for their own education, to become more politically active and support officials who best represent minorities' interests.
The idea for the march originated with controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and former NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Chavis. In recent months, however, the idea for a ``Day of Atonement'' has caught on with more mainstream figures as well.
The planners have various goals: to provide a public forum for black men to atone for neglecting their past responsibilities to family and community. To encourage the men to stand proud against stereotypes of them as brutes. To demonstrate black economic strength by boycotting businesses that don't invest in black and poorer communities, and to show political power by registering voters.
The march, which actually will be more of a rally than actual marching, focuses on black males but welcoming all men, particularly from minority groups.
``We must call on America to repent and atone for her evils committed against blacks, Native Americans, Chicanos and the poor people of this nation,'' Farrakhan says in a message on a 900-number phone line set up to register marchers.
``We're not discouraging other men who wish to participate, but I am urging and asking 1 million black men to march with me for justice.''
Women, however, are not invited, though any who show up won't be kept out. Organizers are asking women to support their men from home - or at least from the periphery of the rally - by keeping children from school and focusing on spiritual values to build their families.
The march, unheard of in many places six months ago, has gained momentum in the past few weeks. The Congressional Black Caucus and Southern Christian Leadership Coalition have endorsed it. The Hartford, Conn., school system will excuse teachers and students who wish to attend. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that about 84 percent of blacks surveyed believe in the march's goals.
White respondents gave their support by a 3-to-1 ratio.
Mary Manahan, a white Portsmouth woman, says she admires the self-reliance aspects of the march. ``If this is what black men feel they need to do,'' she says, ``then they should do it.''
The city of Portsmouth has proclaimed Oct. 16 as ``Million Man March Support Day.'' Hampton University will have forums and a march on campus for those not going to Washington. Several local churches and mosques will open their doors for prayer and discussions on the day of the march.
Still, there are pockets of skepticism, much of which center around Farrakhan, who's known for anti-Semitic rhetoric, and Chavis, who was fired from his leadership position with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People after allegations of using the organization's funds to settle a sexual harrassment suit.
The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish group, supports the message but has refused to endorse the march itself, because of Farrakhan's involvement. Some blacks bristle at the idea of atonement, saying it implies that all black men have been neglectful and criminal.
The 8.2-million-member predominantly black National Baptist Convention has denounced the march for theological reasons. So have some local clergy.
``As Christians, it is a spiritual mission that Farrakhan is presenting, and we can't be yoked with him,'' says the Rev. Minister Arthur Devine of Norfolk.
``He has an ulterior message to promote the Nation of Islam, and I don't think a lot of Christians know that. . . . To be quite honest, the Nation of Islam doesn't believe in the same Christ that we do. It's anti-Christ.''
But many march supporters say the appeal goes above and beyond Farrakhan or Chavis. Even as most blacks in the Post-ABC poll supported the march, about half said they had unfavorable views of the two men.
The march seems to tap into a longing for organization and commitment in the black community.
``I'm going, and I'm taking my two sons,'' says Kenneth Melvin, a lawyer and General Assembly delegate from Portsmouth. He's taking two other young boys, too.
``It's not so much to do with the politics or controversies involved. I want them to see the solidarity of that many black men working together for something positive.''
Kenneth Spencer, a Virginia Beach personnel-management specialist with the Navy Exchange System, will be there. He's taking that Monday off without pay instead of using vacation time to demonstrate his willingness to sacrifice for the cause.
``I hope this isn't a one-time event. We need to get ideas on how to constructively do things in the future,'' Spencer says.
``I hope other people will see this and not just see this as a gathering but look at the possibilities. If any part of your society is not at its best, something is wrong with the society as a whole.''
The march comes at a time when national statistics show that African-American communities are disproportionately hit by crime and poverty. Recent attacks on affirmative action have disturbed many African Americans.
``The march says `We need to first recognize and help those who can't take care of their families, help those who only see the alternative of crime,' '' says Cassandra Newby, a history professor at Norfolk State University.
James Williams, director of the Center for the Study and Stabilization of the Black Family at Niagara Falls University in New York, says the march is necessary.
``Right now in 1995, we are about at the most critical stage in our history,'' Williams says. ``This march can help with those issues (crime and poverty). It can help build up self-esteem in young black men.''
To organize the march and to plan the program for the rally, organizers turned to academicians, politicians, entertainers and religious leaders from around the country.
``(The march) can't be monolithic. The organizers didn't want it to be considered a Nation of Islam march or Ben Chavis march, or for just one political agenda,'' said Vibert White, a professor of African-American studies and history at the University of Cincinnati, and a member of the march's advisory board.
``This touches many issues in the black community and minority community.''
The weekend before the march, organizers will host groups of minority leaders for discussions on crime, unemployment and other issues. Farrakhan said recently that one goal is to propose legislation to counter last year's Omnibus Crime Bill, which installed the ``three strikes'' rule. Criminals convicted three times of certain federal felonies receive automatic life sentences without parole.
Rally speakers, including civil rights heroine Rosa Parks and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, will discuss topics ranging from reparations - compensation for ethnic groups for past wrongs like slavery - to male responsibility in curbing domestic violence.
Newby, and others, are concerned about the march's men-only premise. She says it represents a step away from gender equality.
White, however, says a male-only gathering will focus attention on men's often-shunted responsibilities, such as paying child support and helping to rear their children.
Portsmouth Vice Mayor Johnny Clemmons likes the march's objective.
``It is the black man who is dying in the streets at the hands of other black males,'' says Clemmons, who will ride in the bus convoy to the march. ``It is time to confront the issues in front of us.''
Some, including Boykins, have questioned the cost-effectiveness of the march. The budget for the event tops $3 million, and marchers are being asked to make donations to help cover costs.
``That was a worry of mine and still is,'' Boykins says. ``But I think this march is more than that. Money can't buy this sense of unity, that chance to recharge. I see people walk the other way when I walk down the street. I want them to see me as a man who isn't a criminal. We still need money for programs but I feel a need to be there in Washington.''
Williams says he's seen some positive results of the march already.
``Young men feel comfortable walking up to you and asking, `Are you going to the march?' '' Williams says. ``Then you are able to talk about the march. this is a very positive part of the march.''
He believes the march will have an impact that will be difficult to measure.
``I think all across the United States there will be small men's-discussion groups. I think we can do that. This will be an awareness, an awakening, a bond in a more definitive fashion than we've done in the past.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by LAWRENCE JACKSON/
Kenneth Melvin, a Portsmouth attorney and General Assembly delegate,
plans to take his two sons, Derek, left, and Nick. ``I want them to
see the solidarity of that many black men working together for
something positive.''
KEYWORDS: MILLION MAN MARCH by CNB