Million Woman March Update

[TyreeA]

Peace:

MWM (Million Woman March) Update and Press Announcement
For more information call: 215-213-0078

This year, while many are focusing on the upcoming November 2004 US Presidential election, the MWM Organization campaign to establish October as
"National Black Women's Appreciation & Awareness Month
is well underway is moving forward.

The Founding Office of the Million Woman March (MWM) and the MWM Organization is preparing to distribute, this week, information to the members of the Congressional Black Caucus regarding the intent to establish October as the month for Women of African Descent to further embrace concepts such as NIA, to heal, build, bond, further develop, reflect, organize, appreciate and be appreciated, etc.

The Million Woman March was the largest gathering in the world of women, and this year (the seven year anniversary) MWM will officially launch the MWM Universal Movement (the first global Movement for Women of African descent), and with that the unveiling of the MWM "Five Year Action Plan" (5-YAP).

Chapters are being formed nationwide to facilitate the work mandated and to "Get The Job Done"

The MWM 5-YAP is designed to pro-actively address the initial MWM Platform and the its overall Mission which includes the pursuit and obtainment of Justice, Liberation, Redemption, & Peace.

A Black Women's Appreciation and Awareness Resource Guide will be available soon in addition to a listing of Wholistic activities that Sistahs will be convening nationwide to educate, inform, uplift, and empower.

The MWM U Movement Initiation Ceremonies and Action Plan unveiling will take place Oct. 21-25, 2004. The MWM ACTION Conference & Convention will be held fro Oct. 21-24, with the mass MWM Reunion gathering taking place on Oct. 25th.

The MWM 5-YAP is the official follow-up project and operations of the historic 1997 gathering in Philadelphia that assembled an estimated 2.5 million participants under the banner of Repentance, Resurrection, and Restoration.

This, the seventh year, represents in many ways for MWM completion; et in many other regards it is the beginning. This Oct. 25th, while ushering in the MWM U Movement it also begins phase two of the MWM Mission which focuses on the original theme's aspect of Resurrection.

Resurrecting the incredible power & true spirit of MWM, the greatness of our ancestors, and the hopes, dreams and self-determination of our People.

Send your letter of support, donations, comments, and/or suggestions to:
MWM National PO Box 53668 Philadelphia, PA 19105

[NeterHeru]

Blessings of Peace and Serenity,

Reading this update on the MWM brought back a lot of memories, which compelled me to add commentary I made from that fateful day.

"The Million Woman March: An Inside View

The Million Woman March was one of the most prolific and successful spiritual gatherings in 1997. It was distinctly solid in its approach, and well organized. The march not only addressed and focused on issues that affected/effected Black women, but the global nation as well. This is important to understand because underlying the gatherings' purpose was the essense of quotes such as "A nation is only as strong as it's women!," "You judge the character of a nation by the way it treats its women," and a quote of my own: "The degree of civility, or lack thereof, can be determined by how a society conceives its women." These qutoes, not feminism, guided the gatherings' overall demeanor.

Though it is called a march, it was far from being just that. It was a spiritual gathering not only because the motives were spiritual, but because Black women were not the only ones in attendance. There were a large number of brothers who were present, some were vendors others were not, and an increasing number of sisters brought their entire families! Families of boys, girls, and adult men could be seen everywhere. There were so many that it got to the point in which, more than once, coordinators had to stop any and all events that were going on in the gathering to announce the names of missing children. Not that the children were in any danger, but it showed where the sisters' priorities lied: not in the political parameters of the gathering, but in the dedication and commitment toward the responsibility of rasing a future nation in order to stabilize another.

The speakers, guests, and political figures all reflected the many different aspects of Black women throughout the diaspora. It bridged the gap between age, ideology, philosophy, political culture etc . . . and made dealing with the problems of our collective nation the number one priority. Among the many important sisters present was Maxine Waters, Sister Souljah, Winnie Mandela, Iya Olakunle S. Oludina, Matriarch Ohivyah Yisrael, Ava Muhammad, Betty Mae Jumper, Ramona Africa, Faith Evans and the list could go on forever. All of these sisters contributed powerfully toward the purpose of the gathering in their own way. However, three sisters in particular, Winnie Mandela, Maxine Waters, and Sister Souljah, deeply moved the majority of the crowds with what they had to say.

Maxine Waters dropped the real truth behind the CIA's involvement and distribution of crack cocaine throughout our neighborhoods back in the 80's. However, this came as no surprise to many who listened. She also dealt with many other issues such as the Black family unit. Winnie Mandela focused on sisterhood and attaining justice through a process of humanitarianism. Sister Souljah, however, took a more definitive approach to addressing the needs of the Black woman. This is not to take away from sister Waters' and Mandela's speech, but the outlook wasn't political or social, it was internal. Sister Souljah focused on the concept of a woman as conceived by men and them. She un-objectified Black women and compelled them to critically assess themselves in questioning their purpose in the world. Are they to be spiritual beings or sex-objects? Yet, Sister Souljah put the icing on the cake when she conclusively declared, referring to Black women, that "You are the most powerful force in the universe and existence!" As the finality of the essence of her speech, it truly gave Black women, and men something to ponder.

The Million Woman March was a gathering unto itself. It is incomparable to any other march. Though many have tried to compare it to the Million Man March-especially mainstream media--it had fundamental differences. One in particular is the fac that it was organized and coordinated by many ordinary sisters who were fed up with the way things are going and wanted change, while the Million Man March was organized and coordinated by Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson etc . . . Another is the fact that the Million Man March dealt with many knowledgeable issues of an esoteric nature while the Million Woman March dealt with the opposite. Nevertheless, throughout it all, Black women in America and throughout the diaspora have yet again made their mark in world history as proclaiming and taking on the responsibility of being the natural leaders for a collective global nation."

Ashe