Thousands pack D.C. for 20th anniversary of Million Man March

WASHINGTON — Under clear skies and amid metal detectors, barriers and moderate police presence, thousands of people crowded onto the National Mall on Saturday to hear messages bemoaning cases of alleged police misconduct and to observe the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.

The crowd was younger and less dense than it was 20 years ago, and while it was made of mostly black men, there were many women and children there too along with people of other races. Another notable difference from the original march was that Minister Louis Farrakhan, organizer and Nation of Islam leader, widened his sentiments to include abortion, politics and self respect and sounded a inclusive tone.

Before a quiet crowd on the lawn outside of the Capitol, Farrakhan, sometimes a controversial figure, said people must appreciate and love themselves more. He especially extended this message to women.

"You should never call another woman a bitch," the Chicago-based minister said. "Get that word out of our language."

He also touched on the issue of abortion. He told women that they have the right to decide what happens with their bodies, "but it would be so tragic if the next Sitting Bull was aborted," or if Malcolm X, Martin Luther King or Jesus "was flushed away."

Farrakhan said his own mother tried to abort him three times unsuccessfully. He also urged people to stop using limiting labels to describe themselves.

"If I ask you your nationality, you'll point to some little spot on the map that you think defines you ... 'I'm from Georgia' - well good for you. 'I'm from Jamaica, mon,' " he said, drawing chuckles from the crowd. "You are defined by the nature in which you were created."

In one moment that moved the crowd to grow silent, Farrakhan addressed old rumors that he may have had something to do with the February 1965 assassination of Malcolm X.

"Let's deal with it," Farrakhan said, calling on the FBI to make public all it's files on Malcolm X. "Don't redact a damn thing and let the people see what really happened to Malcolm."

Farrakhan said "some Muslims were involved." Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted in the murder.

When church founder Elijah Muhammad died in 1975, the group fragmented. But on Saturday, Farrakhan introduced several members of the Muhammad family with whom he associates. Among them was Minister Ishmael Muhammad, Elijah Muhammad's son and Farrakhan's national assistant minister.

Meanwhile, some people came because they'd attended the first march that drew somewhere between 800,000 and 1.2 million people. They were hoping for a repeat of the never-before experienced feeling of unity that they said was present in 1995.

Among those people was Rev. Ronald Bell, Jr., a 34-year-old pastor from Wilmington, Del., who was there with his 4-year-old son, Ronald Bell III. The elder Bell attended the 1995 march with his own father, Rev. Ronald Bell, Sr., when he was 14-years-old. He never forgot it, he said.

"Just to see all those strong black men in one spot does something to you," said Bell, who heads Wilmington's Arise congregation.

Holding his son's hand, he said, "I hope he gets the experience I did 20 years ago with just the visual that we are strong. That we may not be where we thought we'd be 20 years later but we're still strong."

Most in the crowd, like Bell, appeared to be looking for the experience they had in 1995 or, if much younger, were curious about what they'd heard about the earlier march.

Nick Florest, an event planner from Brooklyn, did not attend the first march, which took place when he was 11. He had a collection of reasons for wanting to come this time around and organized a bus trip with his friend, singer/songwriter Kita P.

Florest's events often have a comic book theme and he has noticed lack of diversity in the industry, he said. He's also been concerned about the number of black men and women dying while in police custody, he said.

"I'm just looking forward to seeing the diversity of people attending," Florest, 31, of Brooklyn, said from the bus Saturday morning organized by his company, We Are Boss Level. "This is for everyone."

The first march in 1995 compelled black men to atone for their mistakes, reconcile with their loved ones and take responsibility for their actions. Farrakhan was the key organizer but speakers ran the gamut, from Congress members to celebrities to the Rev. Jesse Jackson. In the days before social media and cell phone culture, buzz erupted across the country about the march and celebrities and politicians clamored to announce they were going.

Million Man March, part 2: The anniversary

This time around, the buzz around the rally was more low key. Unlike the first, there was not a push to draw one million, Minister Ishmael Muhammad, son of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad and national assistant minister to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

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The theme this time was "Justice or Else" and was intended to cover not just black Americans, but also Native Americans, Latinos, women, soldiers and the range of racial and ethnic groups,

"As we look at the trend all over the world, the cry for justice is universal," he said.