Farrakhan, by the way, is a Truther who in March of this year blamed the Jews for 9-11, while his opinions of gays and lesbians make current media enemy No. 1 Kim Davis look like a liberal. So if you add up the attendance at all three MMM events, then…
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Blair says he didn’t know the photo of him went viral until he got home last night.
Lang: The Million Man March ideologically shared far much more in common with the architects of the Republican “Contract with America” than it did with the civil rights movement mobilizations decades earlier.
During the original march, Minister Farrakan issued a pledge and call to action for Black men everywhere. Because without Farrakhan? No March. We should certainly reflect on the legacies of the 1995 march, but we absolutely should not return to its guiding principles, which have been a source of continuing misery today.
That certain segment, in case you’re curious, would be that segment of whites who can not tolerate a black president. Tamika Mallory, a national organizer of the rally, recited a litany of young black men who have been killed by police in recent years, including Tamir Rice of Cleveland, Michael Brown of Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner of Staten Island. As a graduate student at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Lang co-authored an article in the journal New Politics that took issue with the politics and assumptions underpinning the Million Man March. I even witnessed members of the Washington DC police force working in concert with the Fruit of Islam to provide a smoothly functioning security operation. “The one thing I see different is more women are here”, he said. “But more and more people are buying into it as well”. “I say to the families that are standing here before me: don’t hold your head down as if your child’s life has been lost in vain”. “Who wants to be a whore?” he asked.
And just as in years past, it is frustratingly hard to discern what is the specific takeaway message from the event as it relates to the event’s title. “The demand for justice is bigger than all our lives, so the demand for justice must give us the will to wish to sacrifice our lives, because the many are greater than the one”. There were frequent chants throughout of “Justice!” after which the crowd would chant back “Or Else!”
The Minister has called for a “war on two fronts”-demanding that the USA government address Black suffering, and calling upon the Black community to take responsibility for its own internal violence, fratricide and disrespect for Black life”.
Malcolm X and why, contrary to what a few believe, he was not in any way involved in the slain leader’s murder. Many women and children were in the crowd and Farrakhan talked at length about how men should honor women. Farrakhan also briefly hinted that he himself had done the same thing. Farrakhan made a lot of fascinating and no-doubt “problematic” statements during his epic speech Saturday, none of which made Smith’s article, which was more focused on weaponing left-wing grievances than in thorough newsgathering.
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Video of his speech is below, courtesy of CNN and C-Span. But that has never stopped the crowds from coming, possibly because he remains perceived as the only national black leader who is not in any way bought or controlled by anyone or any organization other than black people. Someone who doesn’t have to receive clearance/permission/approval from “the man” before speaking his/their mind. With Louis Farrakhan, we’re witnessing the rise of an American Hitler.
