THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 17, 1995 TAG: 9510170280
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KERRY DOUGHERTY AND PHIL WALZER, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Frank Taylor, a Portsmouth painter, did not travel to the Million Man March in Washington on Monday.
Instead, he attended seminars at the Christian Temple United Church of Christ - and held onto his wallet.
``I'm not spending any money today, not a penny,'' he said, complying with a call for a nationwide boycott of business by African-American men.
Taylor, like others, was of two minds about the march and its organizer, Minister Louis Farrakhan.
``I'm glad to see the split between Christians and Muslims is being mended,'' said Taylor, who is Episcopalian. ``All black people have the same concerns.
``But Louis Farrakhan has a message of separation and hate, which I don't like.''
Despite Farrakhan, Taylor conceded that he admires the values espoused by Muslims.
``The Nation of Islam promotes owning your own business, and pride in yourself. They make their members abstain from alcohol, drugs and messing around with ladies,'' he said. ``They teach discipline and good clean living, and I respect that.''
Taylor was one of a number of people supporting the Million Man March from a distance. Some of those who couldn't travel to Washington gathered instead at the church at 34th Street and Llewellyn Avenue.
Around Hampton Roads generally, there were few signs that the march was affecting productivity.
Only at the two historically black universities, Hampton and Norfolk State, were great numbers of African-American men absent.
While officials at the schools couldn't estimate how many undergraduates attended the march, students said many classmates were absent.
At NSU, ``you could tell the difference,'' senior Derrick Riddick said. ``There are just not as many people around.''
Same story at Hampton.
``There were no guys around,'' said junior Dionne Williams.
At Hampton's student union building, more than 65 students, nearly all female, watched the march on TV. The students burst into applause when the camera panned to the crowd, showing a sea of faces. Later, they ``ahhed'' when the image of a young boy holding his father's hand flashed on the screen.
``It's a first step for African-American unity,'' Williams said. ``There's almost a myth that blacks can never get together without disagreement or fighting. This shows it isn't true.''
At NSU, too, students watched the events on television at the student center.
``It's a good, positive step,'' freshman Michael Jenkins said. ``Even if people don't believe what Farrakhan believes as a whole, it's a good symbol - all black males are not in jail.''
Jenkins stayed on campus because he had to work at Farm Fresh. Riddick was there to take two English tests Monday.
Hampton and NSU held midterms this week, but both schools said students who attended the march could reschedule their tests with the consent of their professors.
A survey of several large employers showed the march caused little disruption.
Newport News Shipbuilding, the state's largest private employer, saw no increase in absent workers.
``It's business as usual here,'' said Jerri Dicksoski, senior communications representative for the company, where 34 percent of the 19,200 workers are African-American men.
At Smithfield Packing, where 85 percent of the 2,000 employees are African Americans, not a single worker asked for the day off to participate in March-related activities.
At Virginia Beach General Hospital there was no noticeable increase in absenteeism, said spokeswoman Dee Dee Becker. And the city of Portsmouth reported no increase in requests for leave by city employees on Monday.
Same story at local public schools, where only a slight rise in absenteeism was noted - so small that officials hesitated to connect it to the march.
In Norfolk, most high schools reported the usual rates, but Norview High's absentee rate climbed from the usual 14 percent to about 19 percent, spokesman George D. Raiss said. Absenteeism among school workers did not increase, he said.
At Chesapeake high schools, the attendance rate was 90 percent, compared with the standard 93 percent.
ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Junior Tiffani Reynold, right, was among a couple hundred Hampton
University students who gathered Monday at the student union to
watch coverage of the march on a big-screen TV. ``There's almost a
myth that blacks can never get together without . . . fighting. This
shows it isn't true,'' said junior Dionne Williams.
KEYWORDS: MILLION MAN MARCH by CNB