A Million Youths to March Down Fifth Avenue (NYC)

Call from Khallid Abdul Muhammad, 26 February 1998

Black nationalist Khallid Abdul Muhammad is urging New Yorkers & the world to prepare for a gathering of up to three million young people and their elders on one of New York’s busiest commercial strips this September. The former National Spokesman for Minister Louis Farrakhan announced that he will act as convener and executive director of the Million Youth March scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 5th at Central Park and Fifth Avenue.

Its purpose is to steer youths in a positive direction and stimulate positive change. It will promote themes of empowerment, unity and love; while decrying racism, police brutality and the media’s poor portrayal of youths. Among theses issues attendants of the Million Youth March will also march for Black Power; unity and love among youth and people; unity among Black, ‘Hispanic-Latino’, Arab and Native American youth; financial aid for Black students; an end to gang conflict and violence; an agenda where Black leadership and organizations dedicating themselves to community service and nation building; and full and complete reparations for the descendants of African slaves. They will march against racist policies, police brutality, attacks on blacks, enrolling in college, low self esteem, negative media images, Supreme Court decisions and state propositions that destroy attempts to remedy discriminations and conspiracy to permanently criminalize black youth Khallid said.

The march is significant because all the gains of the civil rights era literally are being obliterated. Black people and all the gains of the civil rights movement are not only under attack but, for the most part, have been attacked and destroyed, he said. Muhammad said attack of the welfare system, financial aid and affirmative action coupled with a rise in racism and police brutality and CIA and government sponsored drug trafficking are all signs of an ongoing dilemma in the African American community. They’re saying farewell to Black people, he said. They’re saying they can no longer carry us, that we must get up and do something for ourselves. The march he said, would instill within youth the same spirit of self determination which brought about changes in the 1960s.

Goals preceding the march are beginning mass training in computer information systems to prepare youth for the new age of technology, petitioning for the release of political prisoners such as Mumia Abu Jamal, obtaining reparations for the injustice of slavery and the descendants of slaves to be submitted at the conclusion of the march to Secretary General Kofi Annan of Ghana (United Nations), and pooling resources to start a company in which musical artists can control their own entertainment dollars and distribution of records.

In addition, African centered schools would be created which focus on equipping youth with knowledge of self and their history. Without knowledge of self, you’re just an educated well groomed slave, he said.

Youth from Baltimore, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Atlanta, Los Angeles and as far away as London, Denmark and Africa are expected to attend. Volunteers wishing to assist with the march can call (201)421-1469 and those wishing to give donations can call (201)736-5926. The National Office number is (202)518-0463.