Reflections
Million More Movement March
Washington, D.C.
Saturday, October 15, 2005

by Deacon/Senator Harold Metts

I attended this event with Muhammad’s Study Group who sponsored this trip. We left the Mosque Friday night around 11:30 p.m. The bus was filled with Muslim and Christian, young and old, black and some white, men and women, and rival teens from the East Side and South Side. We lost air pressure (problems with the brakes) in Conn., pulled in a rest area, and had to wait 2 hours for another bus. The fellowship and anticipation was wonderful. There was tension at the rest area between the rival East Side and South Side youth. We continued journeying in the heavy rain, that beganto subside when we stopped in a Maryland Rest Area.

We arrived in Maryland just outside of D.C. the sun was shinning, the sky clear, and the temperature eventually reached 77 degrees. There were buses from all over the country of Christian, Muslim, or mixed groups similar to ours. The feeling of love was in the air, and I could feel the spirit as we got closer to our destination. We had to take the Metro subway to the March. Upon reaching our destination at the Capital building we had to go through a security check point manned by DC and Government police, and the Muslim security staff with their beautiful uniforms who were everywhere. They searched our back packs (mine was filled with fried chicken and other snacks that my wife prepared for me), and we had to take off and remove all metal objects as we went through the metal detectors. There was a sea of black people, joined by Native American, Latinos, and Whites that stretched from the capital past the Washington Monument as far as the eye could see. There was a live telecast from a high official from Fidel Castro’s Adm. in Cuba, as well as the President of Jamaica. Every need was addressed from the first aid tents to the rows of porta-jons (portable bathrooms). From the East Coast to the West Coast people came together to hear the vision of what we should do when we return to our respective communities. Love and a great sense of anticipation was in the air (the tension continued between the rival teens from the East Side and South Side). I pray that all in attendance have a sense of the historical and spiritual significance of this event. I talked with George Lindsey, my neighbor, and Director of the Davey Lopes Center, and others about people being in slavery and not knowing it (economic slavery for those with no education or part of the criminal justice system as inmates or former inmates with a record, and also slaves to sin). It’s a shame when you’re a slave and don’t know it; this was my concern for the rival teens and others.

The program started 8:30 that morning and we arrived around 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Crowds of people were still filling this event. Several speakers had the injustice that hurricane Katrina revealed on their minds. There was a variety of music and speakers from politics, education, social activist, Rev. Jessie Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton, parents that lost their children to gun violence, one mother who lost her son in the war in Iraq, and some of the elders from the Civil Rights Movement. The rappers –hip-hop-artists were present (not all have a message of violence, sex, and disrespect of women) and we have be careful of the medias portrayal of them. I liked the band and singer from Haiti with his reggae and rap style, that had some powerful messages (class and race struggle, injustice, etc.). People in the crowd were promoting black economics and passing out their flyers and business cards. Groups were promoting their political and social agendas. I began to listen to a wide array of speakers to gather some nuggets:

• “Stop buying what we want, while begging for what we need.”
• “There is a collective work, and we all have a job to do.”
• “We may all have come on different boats (slave ships), but we are all in the same boat now.”
• One young sister who spoke (she didn’t sing as scheduled) just before Farrakhan came on said, “I’m not my hair, I’m not my clothes, I’m not my nails….” Talking about our identity (another speaker commented on this, too, black, Afro American, African American, Negro, etc.).
• “We can not hide our faces to the distress, inequality and poverty around the world.”

Finally the main speaker, Min. Luis Farrakhan was escorted to the stage area (we saw it on large T.V. Screens scattered throughout so that all could witness and here the program.
Some of the points he made were as follows:

1. The lesson from Katrina is that we can charge the government with neglect (analogy: of a mother that went in a store, left the baby in the car, and rolled up the windows, but stayed to long, the baby died, and she had to face the legal consequences. The Black people of New Orleans were left with out help for several days, and he wondered if it would have been different if the people on the roof tops that were waving for help had been while with blond hair? “Don’t worry about the government! They won’t do what they are supposed to do, unless we do what were supposed to do.” He also was concerned about the 5 year old girl in Florida, when the school called the police, and she way put in hand cuffs, and her ankles shackled when she was put in the police car. He told a story about Eleanor Roosevelt and how some Negro leaders were at a dinner with FDR at the White House, and A. Phillip Randolph got up and read some demand to the President who agreed with him, but told him and all present that when they left, they had to go and make him do it (the status quo knows what needs to be done, but we have to go and make them do it).
2. He advocated for HR 40 the Reparations Act (I am also concern about the Voting Rights Act coming up for renewal). He also talked about the degree or organization within a storm that can distinguish it from a Tropical Storm to a Category 1-5 Hurricane (We need to organize our community to effect positive change). He cautioned us about the Lip Professors (those who do a lot of talking with no action). He cited the prophecy of Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the giant metal man with a head of gold, but feet of iron and clay (the point was that when tested by our oppressor we need to move as a unified force for justice).


3. He talked about flesh (not what we say, but what we do).
4. He framed some questions and talked about forming Ministries of Help and Human Services (quoted Jesus, about being a servant). Mentioning Katrina, again, he informed us that Castro offered 1500 English Speaking doctors that he would send to the Gulf Coast, but the U.S. Government. refused. Further he mentioned that Cuba offered to train doctors if they agree to return to in inner city to service the poor there. The Ministries he mentioned were:

• Min. of Agriculture not only for healthy food for our people, but also for black economics (business opportunities and jobs). Native Americans have agreed to lease use their land for farming. He said that “Our mouth is in the kitchen of the enemy…” and cited our bad health and the exploitation of the Pharmaceutical Industry.
• We need a Ministry of Education. “The Western system has failed our youth…” and we “…need a new paridigm.
• Ministry of Defense. Are young men are in the wrong war. He mentioned that they need to be making our streets at home better not fighting in Iraq, and defend and not destroy our community.
• Ministry of Art and Culture. We need to change our culture through song, dance, poetry, drama, etc.
• Ministry of Trades & Unions. The example given was the clothes and shoes we by are made else where (exploitation of cheap labor in foreign countries). We should be developing our own business in the Caribbean and Africa and utilize this labor source to compete with present markets.
• Ministry of Justice. Not reliance on the police (many times they protect the status quo, not necessarily our interest); we need to do some ourselves.
• Ministry of Information (our own media people and resources) so that truth is reported not propaganda (third World Countries, and Countries of color have a totally different perspective of Americans based on the injustice they face and see, however, this is not reported here, but we must fight Wars to protect the interest of the Status Quo-Corporate interest). American Foreign Policy .If we only knew the propaganda-CIA, etc.
• Ministry of Science and Technology.
• Ministry of Spiritual Unity of Religions (destroy the Willie Lynch Syndrome that separates us. Willie Lynch was mentioned at the March 10 years ago. When Slave Owners first acquired slaves in American they were afraid of mutiny as one white family of 4 might have 20 or more slaves. They hired Willie Lynch from the British West Indies as a consultant. He informed them that they had nothing to fear. Pit the dark skin against the light skin, the tall against the short, etc., etc., and teach them to distrust each other, and that’s how you can control them. And he guaranteed them that it would last for over 300 years.) Money is needed to fund all these ministries (they were passing large bins taking donations from the crowd outside the capital grounds (against the rules to sell things or do this on the capital grounds, and we were urged to do so once we left). They also want to know about the talents we have and urged us to go on line to register at Millions More Movement. He mentioned that the church did wrong and needs to repent for its role against Native Americans, during slavery. More than asking for forgiveness, they need to atone, and make amends.
• Form a new Political Party (Party of the People or Poor –POP), because neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are meeting our needs. Like Ross Perot, we can leverage our political strength with either one.
• Repeal, heal, medicine is needed in our community. He quoted Malcolm X about Reparations. As he talked about unity he talked about the unity needed with our African Brothers.

As we left to return to the Metro to return to our bus for the ride home, there was much to digest. On the bus, I had to tell one of the young men from the East Side (instigator) to calm his nerves. What has to happen in Providence and Rhode Island? What is my role in all this? What is the role of our churches? How can we all work together to carry out this great vision and nurture the unity needed? Then I remembered a Scripture that the Rev. Jessie Jackson used during his remarks: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)

May God help our community and our country.

Deacon/Senator Harold Metts