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The nation’s first Million Man March and Day of Absence took place in Washington, D.C., on October 16, 1995. It occurred with parallel activities in cities and towns throughout the country; families were asked to stay at home from school and work during that “day of atonement” and to pray and fast. It provided an opportunity for black men to bear responsibility for their lives, families, and communities. They also were to show repentance for the ill treatment of black women. In the area of civil rights, the march aimed to bring whites and blacks together and spotlight national inactivity toward racial inequality.

Early in 1995 Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam proposed the march. The Nation of Islam organizational efforts were supported by the National African American Leadership Summit. The planners garnered widespread support from religious, political, and business-oriented groups and leaders. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) offered their support as well; they excused students from classes and chartered buses to take them to Washington for the event. Nonetheless, many white and black leaders opposed it from the start because of Farrakhan’s involvement and denounced his anti-Semitic messages and inflammatory and nationalistic views. They called the march racially discriminatory. Some black women, in particular activist and teacher Angela Davis, opposed it too because women were involved in the planning but were excluded from the march.

Thousands of black men from across the country gathered at the Capitol on October 16, 1995, in a show of unity and protest (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi).

In the mission statement for the march, organizers called the event significant for a number of reasons, including its challenge to black men and to the country in a time of increased racism, the call for black men to maintain hard-won gains, and the opportunity it offered to encourage operational unity. The organizers were concerned about the deteriorating social conditions in the black community and the trend in the country toward a turn to the right and the impact this would have on people of color, the poor, and the vulnerable. The statement also challenged followers to work beyond the spirit of the march, expand political gains, build and strengthen black united fronts, reaffirm and strengthen families, call for public admission and apology for the Holocaust of African Enslavement, work against violations of civil and human rights, support African-centered independent schools, reduce or eliminate negative media coverage, and build alliances with other people of color.

Notwithstanding opposition to Farrakhan and his supporters, marchers from all walks of life assembled at the Lincoln Memorial—the site of the historic 1963 March on Washington—and near the Capitol Building. Among the speakers were Dorothy Height and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Farrakhan gave the final address. Reports differ on the size of the march. Although the National Park Service claimed that 400,000 marchers were involved, leaders of the march, as well as participants, claim that a million people did, in fact, participate. Al Edwards, a member of the Texas State Legislature, said in Crisis magazine: “I took part in many marches during the Civil Rights Movement but the Million Man March had a feeling that was unexplainable. You could feel the warmth and the brotherly kindness…. The march helped to rejuvenate my commitment. It was just so energizing.” Wendall Galloway of Largo, Maryland, said that “It felt good to be a Black man.” Among the spin-offs and other demonstrations were a simulation of black voter registration and cross-theological gatherings. The event attracted national attention and was deemed a success. Its long-term success, however, is difficult to determine.

Jessie Carney Smith