20 years after the Million Man March, a fresh call for justice on the Mall

By David Nakamura and Hamil R. Harris October 10 at 3:00 PM

Thousands of black men, women and children gathered on the Mall on Saturday to demand justice at a time of growing anger and fraying tensions in African American communities around the nation over the police shooting deaths of young black men.

Crowds began forming on a cool, sunny morning just beyond the west front of the Capitol, and by noon the number of participants had swelled significantly, with onlookers watching on several jumbo screens set up along the lawn. Some people set up lawn chairs and others sat on blankets to listen to a long lineup of speakers, including Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, which sponsored the “Justice or Else” rally.

The event marked the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March in 1995, when hundreds of thousands of black men rallied on the Mall. Although the crowd Saturday was expected to be far smaller than that protest, the spirit of the first movement was echoed by those who addressed the crowds.

But the speakers also pointedly tied the struggle of the black community to modern-day incidents. Tamika Mallory, a national organizer of the rally, recited a litany of young black men who have been killed by police in recent years, including Tamir Rice of Cleveland, Michael Brown of Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner of Staten Island.

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