The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, September 11, 1995             TAG: 9509110040
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   91 lines

CHAVIS HAS MILLION REASONS FOR MARCH EVENT WILL FOCUS MEN'S ATTENTION ON THEIR DUTIES.

Benjamin Chavis, former director of the NAACP, fired up a Norfolk rally yesterday, encouraging ``black Tidewater'' to join a million African-American men who will march in Washington in the name of unity, community and ``atonement with God.''

The import of the men-only march is for males to ``atone, become at one with God,'' accepting responsibility for their community and family. A duty, Chavis said, they have neglected.

``We're going to make demands on government, demands on corporations, but we first need to make demands on self,'' said Chavis, executive director of the Million Man March. ``You are going to see a new black man, a responsible black man. Black women have been out there disproportionately taking care of the black family. When the black man is down, the black family is down. We need to restore him to his proper place, not over and above the black woman, but with the black woman.''

Chavis wasn't alone. Several local activists, political leaders and an audience of more than 100 attended the Million Man March/Day of Atonement Rally to endorse the march, which is scheduled for 10 a.m., Oct. 16.

The march is a creation of Louis Farrakhan, leader of the black sect Nation of Islam, and has raised a few eyebrows.

It is being organized by the outspoken Farrakhan and Chavis, who was fired from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People last year under allegations of financial mismanagement. They've also banned women from marching, asking them and men who can't march to stay home from work and keep kids from school to pray and atone at home. Organizers are asking African Americans to stage a day-long boycott of businesses that don't invest in the black community.

But Sunday's speakers at the Howard Johnson Hotel in downtown Norfolk stressed that the march transcends the controversial leaders and dictums. It's a chance for African-American men of faith and nonfaith to unite in their commonness of being black, they said. The march is seen as a chance for black men to collectively tell the world they are ready to ante up.

``I just want to say to the sisters, `You have started all of the restoration movements, and thank you,' '' said Clarence Cuffee, Chesapeake assistant city manager. ``So to the mothers, sisters, aunts out there, we need your support. This is our movement.''

State Sen. Yvonne Miller of Norfolk brought the crowd to its feet when she explained why she didn't mind being excluded from the march.

``As a black woman, it's a great honor to have men who are willing to step forward and say we are tired and we won't take it anymore,'' Miller said to an eruption of ``Amen'' and ``Let me hear ya.''

``For the beautiful black women here, we will say to our men we will take care of our children, we will pray, we will share our money because we are exceedingly proud of you.''

Others, such as the director of the NAACP's Virginia Beach chapter, spoke to the march's relevance as a progression in the black civil rights movement.

``If you don't want to go to Washington for yourself, look around at the children in the neighborhood,'' George Minns said. ``Go, so that the children will have a chance, because someone went for us so that we'd have a chance.''

Chavis carried his message throughout Norfolk yesterday, helping the Christian Temple United Church of Christ celebrate its first anniversary and speaking at Second Calvary Baptist Church Sunday evening.

In addition to generating support for the march, Chavis stressed that African Americans will need to keep the momentum going after marchers leave Washington.

``This is not one day of exhibition, but affirmation for the rest of our lives,'' Chavis said.

The march will include a voters' registration drive and a discussion on how to select and elect government officials who will represent the interest of African Americans. Chavis said he hopes the march will give black America a better idea of how to spend its money, supporting black institutions and black-owned businesses.

``We have God-given talents that we don't use,'' Chavis said. ``We've waited too long for people to do for us what we should be doing for ourselves.''

MEMO: Several local groups are organizing buses to the march. For more

information about the buses and the march, call 627-1393, The Hampton

Roads Day of Atonement MMM Committee; or 489-3474 and 727-5511, Nation

of Islam representatives.

ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

MOTOYA NAKAMURA/

Staff

``We're going to make demands on government, demands on

corporations, but we first need to make demands on self.'' -

Benjamin Chavis

by CNB