Minister Louis Farrakhan touched upon the Ferguson unrest during his keynote address of ‘Justice or Else’ Million Man March 20th Anniversary program on The National Mall Saturday afternoon. Photo by Lawrence Bryant
(Washington, D.C.) – “Twenty years ago Barack Obama was in the audience. Today he’s in the White House,” said Dr. Ben Chavis, CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and one of the organizers of the first Million Man March in 1995.
“We’ve made some progress, but all of you out here know that we have a long way to go – that’s why we’re here today.”
Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan once again compelled black people to pour into the nation’s capital on Saturday, October 10 to stand in solidarity and commit to changing their communities for the better with the rallying cry of “Justice or Else.”
Facing a sea of people as far as the eye could see along the National Mall, speakers addressed statehood for Washington, D.C., the mass incarceration of black men and the gun violence epidemic that has ravaged major cities across the nation.
But just as it has been for the past year since Ferguson exploded with unrest, police violence against communities of color was a flashpoint for the host of speakers that provided a dynamic and diverse reflection of the black community.
“We come here in the name of Mike Brown and Eric Garner and all those who have been slain in the streets,” said Rev. De-Ves Toon, national field director for Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. “Justice is what we command, what we demand and what we deserve. Innocent blood has been crying out from the ground.”
‘Ferguson is the ‘or else’’
The road to “Justice or Else” seemed to lead back to Ferguson as notables from the unrest stood before the crowd on more than one occasion.
Not long after the audience was prompted by another of the nearly 20 speakers to raise their arms and chant “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” Michael Brown Sr. and Brother Anthony Shahid were given a moment to speak.
Tory Russell of Hands Up United represented the young protest community.
“I come from a place where people struggle every day. We’re looking for economic justice, social justice, environmental justice,” Russell said. “All of these young people who have been standing in the streets in Ferguson for a long time, ain’t nobody coming to save us. I’m not waiting for justice to fall out of the sky or nobody to come save me.”
He urged the crowd to take the “Justice or Else” mantra back to their own communities and put their feet to the pavement in protest.
“I’m doing the same thing Zaki Baruti did,” Russell said, with the veteran St. Louis activist and front-line Ferguson responder standing right behind him. “I’m gonna do the same thing Anthony Shahid did. I’m gonna do the same thing Mama Jamala Rogers did. I’m gonna do the same thing Percy Green did. You don’t know those names, because they are local names – local names with a national impact. When I tell you, we’re talking about justice or else, I only got one thing to say: Ferguson is the ‘or else!’”
When Farrakhan took to the podium, Ferguson was clearly top of mind for him as well.
“Ferguson ignited it all,” Farrakhan said.
His words were met with thunderous applause by those who recognized the impact that the months of fervent protest had on the fight for social justice.
“All of the brothers and sisters who stood up against tanks and put their bodies on the line, we are honored that you have come to be with us to represent our struggle and our demands,” Farrakhan said.
He thanked them for their fearlessness and offered the courage of Ferguson protesters as examples.
“There must come a time when we all say ‘enough is enough,’” Farrakhan said. “Our problem is that there is too much fear among us. It is hypocritical for us to keep asking for civil rights when we are being denied human rights. We must demand ‘Justice or Else!”
March for the millennials
The Million Man March of the millennial generation was much different than the one that preceded it.
Those who gathered used technology to tell their own story. Pictures and quotes from the festivities flooded the internet.
The Nation of Islam even had its own “Twitter Army” operating out of one of the press tents. Some were out in the crowd gathering pictures. Others sat at their station, faces buried into their phones, hanging onto every word from speakers so they could spread the message with the “Justice or Else” hashtag.
“Twenty years ago, Eric Garner’s last words ‘I can’t breathe’ would have merely been whispered to his killers. Instead, they screamed to all of us to ‘wake up,’” said Tamika Mallory, a national organizer for the Justice Or Else March. “Twenty years ago, the world wouldn’t have seen Mike Brown’s body baking in the sun for four hours. Fox News would leave you to believe that we are here to invoke violence. But we are the ones being murdered.”
Mallory one of many strong women who took to the podium, working behind the scenes and on the national forefront for the “Justice or Else” movement.
“I’m here to tell you that pulling up our pants won’t save us. College degrees won’t save us. Middle-class status won’t save us,” said Melina Abdullah of Black Lives Matter.
“We have to save ourselves, and we start doing that by loving ourselves – and then each other. ‘Black Lives Matter’ is a rallying cry. It’s recognition that we have all we need within us to win. Today is a watershed moment. ‘Or else’ means we will no longer accept the murder of our people. It is by design – and it is our duty to fight for freedom.”
Religious leaders from different faiths and cultural background were given time to offer words before the audience. Representatives from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Palestine were among them.
Farrakhan directly addressed Christians in the crowd, suggesting that Christians and Muslims work together to combat the issues plaguing the black community.
“Our war is on two fronts – the inner city and police wickedness,” Farrakhan said. “Preachers, you’re the most important. Take Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy of nonviolence and redirect it to black people. We have to teach to love one another and to love your neighbor.”
He also encouraged grooming the next generation for the fight for equality.
“This is a movement, not just one day on the calendar,” Farrakhan said. “The elders like myself have to begin to pass down the torch to tomorrow’s leaders. We need to put aside our minor differences if we want real justice – but it will require integrity, selflessness and sacrifice.”
https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_e904b99c-7055-11e5-b670-f7a2d058fdca.html
Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan once again compelled black people to pour into the nation’s capital on Saturday, October 10 to stand in solidarity and commit to changing their communities for the better with the rallying cry of “Justice or Else.”
Facing a sea of people as far as the eye could see along the National Mall, speakers addressed statehood for Washington, D.C., the mass incarceration of black men and the gun violence epidemic that has ravaged major cities across the nation.
But just as it has been for the past year since Ferguson exploded with unrest, police violence against communities of color was a flashpoint for the host of speakers that provided a dynamic and diverse reflection of the black community.
“We come here in the name of Mike Brown and Eric Garner and all those who have been slain in the streets,” said Rev. De-Ves Toon, national field director for Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. “Justice is what we command, what we demand and what we deserve. Innocent blood has been crying out from the ground.”
‘Ferguson is the ‘or else’’
The road to “Justice or Else” seemed to lead back to Ferguson as notables from the unrest stood before the crowd on more than one occasion.
Not long after the audience was prompted by another of the nearly 20 speakers to raise their arms and chant “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” Michael Brown Sr. and Brother Anthony Shahid were given a moment to speak.
Tory Russell of Hands Up United represented the young protest community.
“I come from a place where people struggle every day. We’re looking for economic justice, social justice, environmental justice,” Russell said. “All of these young people who have been standing in the streets in Ferguson for a long time, ain’t nobody coming to save us. I’m not waiting for justice to fall out of the sky or nobody to come save me.”
He urged the crowd to take the “Justice or Else” mantra back to their own communities and put their feet to the pavement in protest.
“I’m doing the same thing Zaki Baruti did,” Russell said, with the veteran St. Louis activist and front-line Ferguson responder standing right behind him. “I’m gonna do the same thing Anthony Shahid did. I’m gonna do the same thing Mama Jamala Rogers did. I’m gonna do the same thing Percy Green did. You don’t know those names, because they are local names – local names with a national impact. When I tell you, we’re talking about justice or else, I only got one thing to say: Ferguson is the ‘or else!’”
When Farrakhan took to the podium, Ferguson was clearly top of mind for him as well.
“Ferguson ignited it all,” Farrakhan said.
His words were met with thunderous applause by those who recognized the impact that the months of fervent protest had on the fight for social justice.
“All of the brothers and sisters who stood up against tanks and put their bodies on the line, we are honored that you have come to be with us to represent our struggle and our demands,” Farrakhan said.
He thanked them for their fearlessness and offered the courage of Ferguson protesters as examples.
“There must come a time when we all say ‘enough is enough,’” Farrakhan said. “Our problem is that there is too much fear among us. It is hypocritical for us to keep asking for civil rights when we are being denied human rights. We must demand ‘Justice or Else!”
March for the millennials
The Million Man March of the millennial generation was much different than the one that preceded it.
Those who gathered used technology to tell their own story. Pictures and quotes from the festivities flooded the internet.
The Nation of Islam even had its own “Twitter Army” operating out of one of the press tents. Some were out in the crowd gathering pictures. Others sat at their station, faces buried into their phones, hanging onto every word from speakers so they could spread the message with the “Justice or Else” hashtag.
“Twenty years ago, Eric Garner’s last words ‘I can’t breathe’ would have merely been whispered to his killers. Instead, they screamed to all of us to ‘wake up,’” said Tamika Mallory, a national organizer for the Justice Or Else March. “Twenty years ago, the world wouldn’t have seen Mike Brown’s body baking in the sun for four hours. Fox News would leave you to believe that we are here to invoke violence. But we are the ones being murdered.”
Mallory one of many strong women who took to the podium, working behind the scenes and on the national forefront for the “Justice or Else” movement.
“I’m here to tell you that pulling up our pants won’t save us. College degrees won’t save us. Middle-class status won’t save us,” said Melina Abdullah of Black Lives Matter.
“We have to save ourselves, and we start doing that by loving ourselves – and then each other. ‘Black Lives Matter’ is a rallying cry. It’s recognition that we have all we need within us to win. Today is a watershed moment. ‘Or else’ means we will no longer accept the murder of our people. It is by design – and it is our duty to fight for freedom.”
Religious leaders from different faiths and cultural background were given time to offer words before the audience. Representatives from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Palestine were among them.
Farrakhan directly addressed Christians in the crowd, suggesting that Christians and Muslims work together to combat the issues plaguing the black community.
“Our war is on two fronts – the inner city and police wickedness,” Farrakhan said. “Preachers, you’re the most important. Take Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy of nonviolence and redirect it to black people. We have to teach to love one another and to love your neighbor.”
He also encouraged grooming the next generation for the fight for equality.
“This is a movement, not just one day on the calendar,” Farrakhan said. “The elders like myself have to begin to pass down the torch to tomorrow’s leaders. We need to put aside our minor differences if we want real justice – but it will require integrity, selflessness and sacrifice.”
https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_e904b99c-7055-11e5-b670-f7a2d058fdca.html
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