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Behind Every Good March is a Woman

by Abdul Allah Muhammad

With Minister Farrakhan's call for at least one million men to march on Washington October 16th, it would seem only natural that our women would feel somewhat left out - especially with the increasing volume of the screeching protestations of the "feminist" movement in America. NOT SO!

What this call is revealing is an untapped longing within the Black woman to see her man stand up and assume his natural posture. When I appeared on the radio a week before our Saviours' Day Convention to talk about the Convention and the March, a Sister called in asking to whom her $100 check in support of the March should be made out (The answer, for any others who may be wondering, is "MILLION MAN MARCH"). Another Sister called in, gave her name, address and phone number and said she was willing to sponsor two men to make the trip "however they want to travel". There was a Sister, not a registered Muslim, attending the Saviours' Day lecture who lives in a Washington suburb. She has a large house, and has volunteered to house five Brothers.

Some sisters who obviously watch those old movies late at night on cable tv compare their role to "Rosie The Riveter", a mythical figure representing the women who took over men's jobs during World War II, to free up the men to fight the war. In addition, a Sister who works at The Final Call has identified one Brother with a bus and one with a van who have volunteered to aid in Many Sisters are already pitching in helping with registration. Most of them are helping to get the word out and encouraging men to participate. Others are helping to assemble registration materials, fielding inquiries. A significant number of Sisters are preparing proposals for fundraising events.

The point stressed most often, and most stringently, by Sisters who want the March to succeed, is the necessity of all our women doing what the Minister is requesting of them - staying home on that day. Working women have seven-and-a-half months to plan that off-day. The action of the men will have an impact, but no greater impact than the action of the women, if they cooperate: Do not go to any store, at any time, for anything on that day!

That is guaranteed to get the attention of the Government, because it will physically affect the real foundation of the Government, and, in fact, the very God that they worship (See Minister Farrakhan's article below).

And, finally, it was a Sister on the staff of The Final Call who suggested that all Black businesses, in a show of solidarity, close for that day.

(This article originally appeared in volume 14, number 10 of The Final Call newspaper, in ELEVEN FIFTY-FIVE by columnist Abdul Allah Muhammad.)