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July 20, 2000 TO: CRC Directors FROM: Karen Senter, Assistant Executive Vice Chair RE: Louis Farrakhan As you may have seen in recent press reports, Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam have scheduled an event called the Million Family March for October 16th, to be held in Washington, D.C. (see Washington Post article). The stated purpose of the March is to celebrate stronger families, and to promote the Nation of Islam’s "National Agenda" which covers a broad range of public policy issues. Farrakhan has recently traveled to several locations around the country, ostensibly to spur interest in the March. To date he has visited Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City and communities in Virginia. We have received reports that in at least one instance there was an attempt to meet with members of the local Jewish community. To our knowledge, nothing has transpired in the last several months to warrant any change in the recommendations outlined in the most recent JCPA memo regarding Minister Farrakhan (dated March 21, 2000). Significant skepticism continues to be in order regarding Farrakhan’s attempts to adopt a more conciliatory stance. Additional information regarding the Million Family March may be obtained on the Internet at www.millionfamilymarch.com. The JCPA will continue to monitor events with respect to the March throughout the summer. We would appreciate it if you would keep us apprised of any activities that take place in your community regarding the event, including visits by Minister Farrakhan. Please feel free to contact either of us should you have any questions.
Farrakhan Plans Million Family March By Fredrick Kunkle Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan came to the nation's capital yesterday to announce plans for a Million Family March in October, five years after the Million Man March filled the Mall in an emotional show of unity by black men. Farrakhan, whose fiery rhetoric has offended Jews and inflamed racial conflicts, sounded an upbeat message of inclusion yesterday, encouraging all ethnic and religious groups, including Jews, to "come under their own banner." To focus attention on what he sees as a widespread breakdown of family values, Farrakhan said he plans to remarry a million men to their wives at the Oct. 16 event and marry 10,000 new couples. "We are all members of the human family, though we are not yet quite human," Farrakhan said at a news conference yesterday in the District. "When you look at the wars that are raging in the world, the tribal hatred in Africa, in Asia, the religious hatred, we have not yet become human." Farrakhan said the Million Family March will emphasize Nation of Islam policies on education, poverty, crime, drugs and African and Caribbean relations. At a Web site set up by the Nation of Islam, www.millionfamilymarch.com, a sermon by Farrakhan describes the family as the building block of society and urges a return to the teaching of the Bible and Koran as the basis for rebuilding society. The site also offers visitors assistance with travel plans to the march. Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), attending the Democratic Leadership Conference in Baltimore, could not be reached. But his spokeswoman, Peggy Armstrong, said the mayor supports the message of the march. She declined to discuss the mayor's views of the minister. "Mayor Williams has made support for families one of the top priorities for his administration," Armstrong said. "He is pleased to welcome families from all over the country as part of the Million Family March. Families are welcome here, as well as their organizers." The Rev. Willie Wilson, pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church, said the Million Family March would build on the positive aspects of the Million Man March, which received criticism for its exclusion of women. "It's a logical progression. Last time, we were trying to strengthen men," said Wilson, who helped to organize 100,000 black men from the area for the Million Man March. "There's a great power in family and family support." The Million Man March in 1995, which drew a massive outpouring of support from blacks, also succeeded in bringing Farrakhan, 67, back from the fringes. Although Farrakhan is still one of the most controversial black leaders in the United States, his message has mellowed, particularly as his battle against prostate cancer has intensified. But not too mellow. At a news conference in Harlem last week drumming up support for the Million Family March, Farrakhan said, "I would love to see a rapprochement between myself and the Jewish community, but I would not compromise my principles to get that." Farrakhan underwent emergency surgery at Howard University Hospital in March 1999. It was the third operation since he learned of the cancer in 1991. Yesterday, Farrakhan said he considers himself at 85 percent strength in his struggle to recover from radiation therapy. In the past, Farrakhan has called Judaism a "gutter religion" and focused on the role of Jews in the slave trade. "He has been a severely disruptive force in relations among the races," said Jason Isaacson, director of governmental and international affairs for the American Jewish Committee. "He has preached intolerance and hatred as a way of building up one people at the expense of another. "I can think of no figure in American civil life who would be less qualified for making a march that would be inclusive than Louis Farrakhan," he said. But Wilson, who saw Farrakhan at a February event in Chicago, said the leader's remarks have often been misinterpreted. "My opinion is, he's never been a divisive force," Wilson said. "Occasionally, people have misunderstood his rhetoric, but behind some of the things he says, is the truth." © 2000 The Washington Post Company |
