I covered the Million Man March 20 years ago. And today there is a new Million Man March. I debated over the course of the last month whether I should cover it or not. I decided not to cover it and here is why.
The original Million Man March showed solidarity and strength of black men. I loved watching the sea of strong black men walking in union of purpose and hope. They proved that not all black men leave their children or commit violent crimes. They wanted to be apart of a historic movement to bring change. And they did it. There was a lot of hugging, communicating, crying, cheering and no violence. For at least one day, the rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, the educated, the illiterate and every possible category came together and stood shoulder to shoulder to renew their commitment to themselves, each other, their families and society to work together to build bridges to success.
Twenty years later men will once again converge on the mall of Washington DC. But this time the message and movement has changed. All men and women were invited. It will cover jobs and our desire to be treated as a majority not the minority. However will it bring change?
I asked myself if we march one more day will it make our boys stronger, more confident and ready to be men? Do our men know their true worth and value in the society and in their homes? Will we see a change in the perception of fear when a group of black men walk the streets in groups? Do black men have a true opportunity to achieve equal to other races?
Most importantly I had to ask myself what have I done in twenty years to make a change?
I am the proud mother of two wonderful, strong, confident black men who know their value and worth from the inside. They pursue their goals and dreams with vigor and focus because I taught them to believe that they have God given gifts on the inside of them. I gave them a reason to believe that despite what society wants to label them, they can be more, do more and achieve more. I made it my goal and responsibility to ensure that the two boys I was given were going to be a value to their future wives, their family, their community and the world.
I am not bragging but I am proud. I am proud that twenty years later I can see the results of my dedication to their manhood. It wasn’t easy and I am not done. I will always consider it an honor and a duty as a mother of two black boys to influence and support them as men.
What is the measure of success of the Million Man March? What have we done over the last twenty years to make a change in our men and our world to make it better? Can each one of us reflect over our actions and say we have contributed on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis to someone to make them a better person? Are we working to improve ourselves so we can contribute to society individually and collectively?
Our answers will not come by marching. We are the answer to our problems. We are the answer to a better opportunity for building an effective community and world. We have to make a daily commitment to find a place to make change in our lives, homes, professions and community. It takes one man helping another man and woman and child to make a million man movement. That’s what we need for real change.
