DATE: Thursday, October 9, 1997             TAG: 9710090527

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   51 lines

MILLION WOMAN MARCH IS GATHERING STEAM

For the past several weeks, a group of black women has gathered in the Jazz M'Tazz Networking Eatery on Wednesday nights to discuss the Million Woman March on Oct. 25.

For folks who don't tune into radio programs such as ``The Tom Joyner Morning Show'' or ``On the Line with Cheryl Wilkerson,'' or breeze through black-themed sites on the Internet, the reality of the march is new.

For the thousands of women mobilizing across the country, such as this dozen at this nightclub, it's just another day of planning, drawing another step closer to securing a place in the history books that the other sex has enjoyed in the past two years with the Million Man March and the Promise Keepers rally.

But instead of rallying in the nation's capital, these women plan to converge in Philadelphia.

The event is expected to have an international draw. South Africa's Winnie Mandela; Sister Souljah; Ava Muhammad, legal counsel for the Nation of Islam; and Rep. Maxine Waters of California are among the confirmed speakers.

While the call for 1 million women may link this event to the Million Man March of 1995, the similarities end there, Reba Harrington said. She is owner/operator of Jazz M'tazz and state coordinator for the Million Woman March.

Whereas the men were called to atone for past wrongs, the women are coming together to discuss solutions for present ills. Among those solutions are rites of passage programs for girls, adequate holistic health care for women, and support systems for those making the transition from welfare to work. Men are invited to participate. While the event is geared toward women of color, no one will be turned away, Harrington said.

``The bottom line is that because we are a viable part of the community, we want to show that we're a viable part of the solution,'' she added.

Whether 1 million will gather on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the Philadelphia Museum of Art is left to question.

Many people calling the event's office number in Philadelphia often hit a recording for a mailbox that is constantly full. Harrington is the third coordinator for Virginia. Information is still coming in dribs and drabs.

That hasn't seemed to dampen any enthusiasm on the part of women across the country. From Texas to Michigan and beyond, state coordinators have been lining up buses to deliver folks to Philly. City tourism officials reported that hotel spaces are filling quickly for Oct. 24-25. ILLUSTRATION: TO LEARN MORE

For details, call Jazz M'Tazz at 826-4474. The Million Woman March

information meetings will be held at 7 p.m. every Wednesday and

Thursday before the event.

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