13 years since the Million Man March?

Someone check my math? I clearly remember the first October 16 in 1995 that was declared our "Day of Atonement." I begrudgingly went to work as a work/study student in the African and African American Studies Program at Washington University in St. Louis (Wash. U.), where I was first year undergraduate student.

I was super radical, adolescent and irrationally upset that the Program wasn't closed to observe the day. I believe I wore all black and a beret, like this:



My "sour grapes" might have been irrational, but my emotion concerning the politics of the time was not unfounded. There was a lot going on concerning African-descent peoples world-wide in 1995. One of the organizations with which I was active, the Association of Black Students (ABS), had been working on incarceration issues, educational inequity in St. Louis Public schools, and about month after celebrating Nigerian Independence Day (October 1), we witnessed the brutal hanging death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and others who were part of the Ogoni struggle.


SEE: http://www.remembersarowiwa.com/deathksw.htm

With only two tenured black faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and increasing gentrification occurring in the city of St. Louis, black students on Wash. U.'s campus took the Million Man March as a serious opportunity to reflect on our protracted struggle against persistent dehumanization.

*


My class-- the wonderful ABS class of 1999 ((unghhhh**))-- organized students to not purchase anything, not even food, on that day. We cooked. We stayed home from class and gathered to talk about political activity ranging from shutting down local Shell stations to reviving black academic support organizations. At sunset we congregated at an outdoor common area. We had candles (did I buy these out of my pocket??? someone advise). We held a vigil and verbally, spiritually committed ourselves to hope, change and love. We were human. We took a moment to respect that, to respect our struggle, and to connect our humanity with the world.

I have always taken time to reflect in that manner on this day as well as October 26 for the Million Women's March. I didn't know how special that group of fabulous black students turned black professionals was until I left for another geographic region. I send them blessings on this day. I also want to send love to Club Knowledge who kept that spirit alive for me when I moved to Oakland ten years later.

Peace. Harambee.


*((Imani Williams from Oakland's Club Knowledge and Tony Stephenson from Wash. U.'s ABS are pictured above. This was taken by the def prof in St. Louis, 2006. Tony is wearing a throwback ABS T-shirt. Go Tony!!))
**(("unghhh" was part of a senior year unity call for the class of 1999. Master P had a song with a chorus that sang, "Unghhhh, Nah nah nah nah," and we would say, "Unghhh, Na-Ninety-N(ah)ine."))