It’s a very contentious time in America as it pertains to race relations. Twenty years after the 1995 Million Man March, we’ve made progress with the election of the first black President, all the while thousands of unarmed African American males have been the victims of senseless killings and police brutality.
Today, thousands of men, women and children descended upon the National Mall in Washington, DC to not only acknowledge the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March but to also show our strength and our ability to be united and on one accord as a community.
Common, Sean “P. Diddy Combs”, Snoop Dogg and J.Cole, Empire’s Bryshere Gray as well as Porsha Williams and Sheree Whitfield were some of the celebrities in attendance this afternoon.
Marchers also chanted lyrics from Kendrick Lamar’s song, “Alright”.
With the event theme being “Justice or Else” Minister Louis Farrakhan spoke about a vast number of topics not just pertaining to the African American experience but abortion, politics and self-respect. “You should never call another woman a bitch,” he said. “Get that word out of our language.”
In terms of being pro-choice Farrakhan said, “…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.”
One of the greatest aspects of the march is the opportunity for those who attended two decades ago to now share the experience with their family and friends. USA Today spoke a father and son duo about the importance of being apart of history.
“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.”
Check out some of the beautiful images of peace and unity in DC! What do you hope happens as a result of this next generation’s Million Man March?
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#JusticeOrElse: It’s The 20th Anniversary Of The Million Man March [PHOTOS] was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
