WORDS BY TALICIA X WILLIAMS
Twenty years ago, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan put out a call to black men to come to the Nation’s Capital to address the issues plaguing our communities at that time and for black men to stand up and take responsibility. That call was answered by One Million Black Men. On that day, black men came together in unity. They pledged to stop the violence committed against one another, they pledged to rebuild their communities, take care of their families, and to protect and uplift the black woman. Black men left The Million Man March that day with a sense of purpose and a duty.
Fast Forward twenty years later to 2015. The call was put out again by The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and this time it was answered by men, women and children of all ages and of all backgrounds. On 10.10.15 the 20th Anniversary was commemorated by a call for Justice. The theme was, Justice Or Else! There were many people who were concerned by what that “Or Else” actually meant. However that didn’t deter our people from coming out to stand together to demand justice. It was a beautiful sight to see so many people standing together for justice despite their race, religion affiliation, and or background. The energy in the air was electrifying. One couldn’t help but to feel energized and ready to engage in the work of taking back our communities.
There were many speakers that addressed the podium that day. Trayvon Martin’s Mom, Sybrina Fulton spoke about the human rights of black people and how we are not 3/5 of a person but we are people with feelings and families as well. The Student Minister of Muhammad’s Mosque #74, Nuri Muhammad of Indianapolis spoke as well.
The crowd was eager and ready to hear from The Honorable Minister Farrakhan. Some key points that Minister Farrakhan spoke on were education and boycotting Christmas and taking back our communities with the 10,000 fearless soldiers. He spoke on the importance of educators going back to our communities to provide our youth with a proper education of who they are so that they may be successful.
The Minister discussed how powerful the black dollar is and with boycotting Christmas our demand for justice can began to be taking more serious. He called for 10,000 FEARLESS men and women amongst the people that were present. He asked for the 10,000 fearless to stand in between the guns and violence in their communities. Their job is to be the peace makers 10.10.15 is not a moment but a movement. The work begins now. To find out how you can be a part of the 10,000 fearless you can visit www.justiceorelse.com