"A Million Righteous Black Men Marching Into The 21st Century"

"1f my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will 1 hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and will heal their land. " - -II Chronicles 7:14

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so, faith without work is dead also.” -James 2:26

On behalf of the Universal African American Peoples Organization, we say that all praises belong to God, who through his infinite wisdom bestowed upon one of his servants, Minister Louis Farrakhan, the blessings of the vision of a Holy Day of Atonement and Reconciliation for our people. This vision is personified through a million Black men gathering at the entrance of the United States Capital Building in Washington, D.C.

Thus, in praising our Lord, we must salute Minister Louis Farrakhan for not only receiving the word of the Lord of the Worlds, but for also having the intestinal fortitude to move the vision into actualization. Accordingly, we also salute all the Black men and women who like angels of the Lord heard the call for atonement and reconciliation. They responded by being in attendance as men in Washington, D.C., or by respecting the call to not work, nor attend school, nor shop on this most prestigious day, Monday, October 16, 1995.

This monumental day is most eventful because it falls in the year of 1995, which is only five years away from the close of the twentieth century, but the beginning of another century (100 years) which will be the twenty-first century. On another perspective, anew millennium (1,000 years) will also be ushered in.

It is in that context that the Universal African American Peoples Organization issues a serious challenge to all of our righteous brothers and sisters who have heard the call. To do honor and justice to this day of atonement and reconciliation, we must now be ready to move steadily forward in serious work and study to achieve a new and profound re-definition of our spiritual, family, economic, political, educational and cultural reality; not only in America, but throughout the world. Because, as paraphrasing the visionary Marcus Garvey, the masses of our people are suffering everywhere under the yoke of oppression of the White capitalist exploiters.

If we truly believe in this Day of Atonement and Reconciliation, we must be resolved as a race in our faith and works to do the will of God by unleashing the shackles of oppression, as exemplified by our own past spiritual infidelity, economic ineptness, family disruption, political weaknesses, educational ignorance and cultural deprivation. In recognizing our own internal weaknesses, we must at all times be mindful of the past historical and ongoing efforts of the White international power structure to keep our people oppressed and confused. But, with the divine intervention of God, his children will be free, if only they do the work that is mandated for our freedom under the banner of One God- One Goal- One Destiny marching into the 21^st century.

In keeping with the work that must be done after October 16, if we are to be true to God and ourselves, the Universal African American Peoples Organization offers the following basic

tasks that we see must be done as we begin to achieve a new era of prosperity, peace and freedom.

1) An overall strategy must be developed to free Africa of any vestiges of neo-colonialism. In freeing Africa we free ourselves. There must be a movement to develop Africa technologically, whereby its standard of living minimally equates to that of the Western world. Embodied in this concept is an United States of Africa, which with immense mineral wealth and with our talents learned here in America holds untold economic opportunities for the future of the Black race. Example, why not our people control the diamond and gold industries as opposed to the others?

2) Development of a spiritual movement that encompasses a commitment by all religious leaders to have each member of their particular religious order to be ever knowledgeable of the words of God as represented by spiritual books. Accordingly, we challenge all righteous people to read from cover to cover the holy hooks of the Bible and Quran and from these experiences develop ongoing study groups. We also challenge all religious leaders to implement tutoring schools in the areas of History, English, Foreign Language, Math, Geography, Economics and Politics. Along with this effort, there must be an outreach program for the homeless, AIDS victims, youth at risk, etc.

3) In that the concept of an African American Economic Fund has already been discussed and projected as a positive outcome of the Million Man March, then simply, we need to make it work. In its implementation, we suggest that the million or more brothers in attendance and those not, make a commitment of pittance (twenty dollars a month) to this fund for at least one to three years or forever more, once it has achieved some concrete successes.

With this formula, it is calculated that in three years over $20 million dollars can be generated. With these dollars, we can then purchase radio and television stations to control the airwaves, hotel, banks, etc.

To implement this concept, we would need a national board of reputable business people, activists and spiritual leaders. It is our opinion that the country be divided into regions and each region be targeted for an infusion of dollars for a Million Man Economic venture. For example, in St. Louis (Mid-west region) we need a progressive Black-owned radio station. Then, if we were blessed to acquire it through the African-American Economic Fund, it would be projected as a Million Man project; which in turn reinforces to our community the positive outcome and growth of our gathering on October 16, 1995.

Also, every grassroots organization, church, etc., should begin their own individual economic ventures through the establishment of co-ops, limited partnerships or corporations. Most recently, in St. Louis over three hundred and thirty six people came together under the auspices of Power Learning Systems to purchase a full scale health restaurant that will hold at least six hundred people. This is an example that with unity and faith, all things are possible.

4) In response to our family crisis, we are in agreement with the organizers of the march, that there must be an all out effort to make sure that all our children, who are in need of adoptive parents are made whole through this process. We also suggest that every family develop a family tree which is passed to each succeeding generation and those committed to the principles

of the march organize yearly family gatherings.

In order to deal with the psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of millions of single Black women, it is our humble opinion that an alternative lifestyle or reality be explored and that one potential reality being polygamy. Especially if we acknowledge that there is a real shortage of Black men, due to homicide, imprisonment and drug abuse.

5) Addressing the issue of politics, as long as we reside in the United States, we need to have a strategy that responds to the theory of "Proportional Political Representation." This theory simply means that we must minimally have political power/elected officials in proportion to our actual population at the national, state and local levels of government. For example, if it was projected in the 1990 census that we are 10 to 15 percent of the population; then, conversely of the more than 497,155 elected officials in this country at least 47,115 should be Black.

However, the reality is that there are about 8,000 Black elected officials, which is only 2 percent.

We need to focus on this disparity, as well as begin to develop an independent political force. For the first time in our political history, we have come near proportional representation in the U.S. House of Representatives with at least 39 Black Congress people in a sea of 435 representatives. But as we know, this little nipling of power is being snatched away by the Supreme Court.

One method to constantly focus attention on our political weaknesses at the national and state levels (No Black governors and very few state-wide elected Black officials in the U.S. Senate, only one Black female out of 100) is to implement State-wide Black Peoples Political Conventions.

In Missouri, three have been held, 1984, 1986, and 1992. Out of these conventions came grassroots candidacies for Governor (Lavoy Zaki Reed) and eventually a Democratic nominee for Senate (Alan Wheat) in 1994. My point is that for the upcoming 1996-1998 state-wide elections for Governors, Senators and other state-wide elected positions, we need a full scale assault by either prominent, already elected officials or grassroots people keeping our political agenda out front and addressing proportionate political representation.

Again, this can be done through organizing State-wide Conventions. Imagine, in every state-wide election in 1996-1998 or the year 2000, that there are Black candidates for Governors and Senators addressing the same platform issues. It can and must be done.

6) Educationally, there must be a literacy campaign waged. The public schools must be seized by African-centered viewpoints and there must be an unprecedented development of independent schools. If this is achieved, undoubtedly a cultural revolution will come forth.

7) Finally, we must address the incarceration of our people, homelessness and health issues.

In closing, the victory will be ours if we keep before us the verses: "If my people, which are called by name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins, and heal their land." And if they practice the spirit of this verse: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."