THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996              TAG: 9602250040
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   57 lines

MILLION MAN MARCH IS TOPIC OF FORUM THE TALK CENTERS ON WAYS TO KEEP THE MARCH'S MOVEMENT GOING FORWARD.

More than 50 people met Saturday night at a Norfolk church, trying to keep the spirit of the Million Man March alive.

A panel discussion, sponsored by the Norfolk chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., brought together march organizers and local community leaders to discuss ways to make the grassroots efforts resulting from the Oct. 16 march more effective.

``Maybe I haven't pulled a gun on anyone or shot someone, but if I'm apathetic, I'm part of the problem,'' said the Rev. Robert Murray, pastor of First Street Baptist Church Bute Street in Norfolk.

``Each one of us can do something. . . . Whatever I have, I can let God use me, where I am.''

Much of the forum at the House of Prayer reflected on the march, a historic demonstration in Washington, where hundreds of thousands of black men gathered and pledged better support of self, family and community.

But the group soon began to work. Participants stressed the church, the historic backbone of the black community, and becoming more involved. Possibilities included churches adopting schools, being resources to teachers and parents, and requiring church members to register to vote.

Several suggested doing things the old-fashioned way, bolstering brotherhood by greeting folks on the street and reconnecting with ``forgotten'' neighborhoods.

``The media has got us to the point where we're afraid to go down Church Street even though many of us used to live there,'' said March Cromuel, president of the Chesapeake branch of the NAACP.

``That has to change.''

Other suggestions were:

Join ongoing community discussions that target community problems, such as a group that meets at the Wesley Community Center in Portsmouth on the 16th of each month. For more information, call 399-0541.

Expose teenagers to career and job opportunities. Leon Hicks, director of admission for Tidewater Tech Aviation, wants to expose more blacks to the possibilities in aviation, from jobs as technicians to pilots. Less than 2 percent of the lucrative field's members are black, Hicks said. For more information about Tidewater Tech Aviation, call 363-1800.

Find out what other groups are doing. The Local Organizing Committee is trying to coordinate local Million Man March groups. The group has a list of 70 other groups that have sprouted since the march. For more information, call 853-6365.

Become a mentor. The Sigma Fraternity is developing a mentoring program for kids and teenagers with the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Life Center Inc. in Norfolk. Mentoring sessions will begin in March, concentrating on various areas, including teen pregnancy prevention, self-esteem building and tutoring. For more information, call 545-7690. by CNB