THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510200643
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN L. HORTON
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Now that the Million Man March is over, I wonder in its aftermath if things are going to get better in the black community - and how soon?
Too, I wonder if all the money, time and effort that went into the march could have been better spent by being more directly involved in the black community.
And I wonder if the ``message'' will get back to those who need it the most. Or will this be another case of preaching to the choir?
For the past decade, I have worked with young African Americans, particularly inner-city and public housing males. I have been a student and teacher of African-American history for more than 30 years. I have conducted countless workshops and classes on self esteem, historical and cultural awareness, personal responsibility, rites of passage, effective parenting, personal empowerment and the like.
During this time, I have seen - and still see - too many young African Americans, particularly males, who have given up hope. I have fathered, brothered, befriended, cajoled, pushed, pulled, begged - and yes, even threatened them. Too often, I have not been nearly as successful as I would have liked. There have been successes, but it is the failures and potential failures that keep me awake at night.
Poet Langston Hughes probably put it best: ``What happens to a dream deferred, does it too dry up like a raisin in the sun?'' It is for these ``deferred dreams'' that I hurt most. It is for this unseen and untapped stream of black resources and vitality that I search most.
The Million Man March participants must return home and become viable here - on the front lines of ``deferred dreams.''
As a people, we must remember the African proverb, ``The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.'' Somehow, the Million Man March must come home.
As Minister Louis Farrakhan so eloquently stated two days before the march, ``If the day after does not follow the day of the march, it will have been symbol without substance.''
Make no mistake, I agree with many of the tenets of this unprecedented show of solidarity and brotherhood. I hope that meaningful results come from the symbolism of this event. This march was organized to show, among other things, leadership, responsibility, unity, determination and commitment among black men. These qualities should go far in helping black men overcome the myriad societal, economic and political problems that face them, their families and their communities.
An effective plan and potent leadership must develop out of this march on Washington. I suggest that the leadership of the Million Man March focus on at least three points of concern:
First, we must develop and implement a plan for self esteem and cultural awareness. We must come to understand and sustain the notion that we are somebody special. We must project that we love and respect ourselves and each other. We must empower African Americans to gain a knowledge of their history and an understanding of their humanity.
Second, we must develop an economic plan for empowering African Americans to do and provide for themselves. For example, we must emphatically stress the benefits of a good education, job training and improved entrepreneurial skills. As a people, we must be savers, investors and producers - not just spenders, debtors and consumers.
In effect, we must come to understand that work and ownership give you a stake in life, a means of survival and an investment in the future. The possession of jobs and capital almost always ensure social rights and political power.
Third, we must develop a political plan. As a people, we must personify the political arts of cohesiveness and practicality. Through voter education, registration and participation, we must learn to get full value for our votes and to become full partners in the political process. We must support and elect leaders who have the courage and competence to ``do the right things'' for all of us. We need leaders who will tell us the real deal and who will encourage us to work harder and smarter.
We need leadership that will bring us together - the educated and the uneducated, the employed and the unemployed, the middle class and the underclass, the franchised and the disenfranchised, the hopeful and the hopeless - into a united and effective force.
Now that the Million Man March is over and everyone has returned home, I hope the flame is lit, the torch is passed and the fire burns brightly. In the end, this monumental event will test our true character and whether we are truly committed to this cause and all that it engenders. It has been said that character is defined by what you are willing to do when the spotlight has been turned off, the applause has died down, and no one is around to give you credit. In the wake of the Million Man March, African-American men will be have the opportunity of a lifetime to define their true character.
Enough said. Let's get to work! MEMO: John Horton, a Norfolk resident, works with young people. by CNB