On October 10, 2015, we had the privilege of attending the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March, organized by Minister Louis Farrakhan, in Washington, D.C. We were there to capture the essence of what exactly “Justice or Else”, the motto of the march, meant and the implications it would bring. We arrived at the Washington Mall and were impressed with the amount of supporters who were already gathered and organized despite the lack of media coverage promoting such a positive event. Several speakers articulated motivational words, words that hundreds of thousands of people listened to with baited breath. There was a minimal police presence and the event’s security predominantly consisted of members from the Nation of Islam. The attendees were well dressed, respectful, and family oriented; the majority of adults were sporting wedding bands.
When it came time for Minister Farrakhan to speak, a hush came over the crowd as he began to illustrate where we are and where we could be if we modify certain behavior. He spoke directly to minorities and warned them against promiscuity, drugs and depending on others for stability. He also encouraged education, the importance of family, and supporting one’s self and community. He wanted to be clear that uplifting minorities is not mutually inclusive of destroying whites. On our way back to New York, we took with us a sense of pride. After all, “Justice or Else” was up to us and action needed to be swift and focused. We could not wait to see how the media covered such a historic, positive and violence free event. I am not sure what was worse; the lack of coverage or the one-sided coverage that was minimal at best. One article, written by Richard Cohen of the Daily News, compared Farrakhan to Trump and paralleled them as bigots. He also attempted to shame those who were in attendance for supporting his platform. The only clear bigot in this scenario was the media outlets. Bigotry is defined as the intolerance towards those who hold different opinions than oneself. Media has taken every opportunity to exploit minorities and report events that focus on violence. Why not take an opportunity to show the World that minorities can organize in peace and without incident. If all media shows is minorities behaving badly, what is the motivation to encourage a change? If all minority children see is the negativity perpetrated through various forms of media, such as reality TV and one-sided news coverage, how will they know who to aspire to be other than what they see? Some of these children are lacking the family structure and education that Minister Farrakhan promotes; the foundation that would prepare these children otherwise. Additionally, during our time in DC, we had the opportunity to surround ourselves with amazing talent. We covered the Big Daddy Kane & Rakim concert at the Howard Theatre. We had the privilege of speaking with 3D Na'Tee and the Goalden Chyld as well as Vivid and Laquita. Feevaleo and Pesh My Rap Name were also on deck for interviews. Brunch was served at Ozio on Sunday morning courtesy of Chef JR Robinson and the Kitchen Cray Empire. With that said, we are proud to present coverage of our week in DC.
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Jenna A. HercheA native New Yorker, Jenna has been in various facets of the entertainment industry for over twenty years. Her newest venture is media. Be sure to stay tuned for her perspective on the industry and the politics that come with the territory. CategoriesArchives
March 2020
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