Introduction

We are thankful to God for THE NATIONAL AGENDA 2000-2008. On behalf of the Million Family March, we are pleased to present this document to our people and constituencies across the United States of America and throughout the world.

We are all blessed when God worked through the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan to call for the Million Man March in 1995 and the present call for the Million Family March 2000. Toda and henceforth, we should take the necessary steps to continue to advance our interests toward atonement, reconciliation, responsibility, freedom and equality.

THE NATIONAL AGENDA 2000-20008 is the result of gathering the input of tens of thousands of our people who are engaged in the day-to-day struggle on the local, regional, national and international levels. This input was then translated into policy recommendations with accompanying action recommendations.

We do not intend to allow our interests to be ignored or sacrificed during the current national political debate. While our initial focus in 1995 was on the plight and condition of African Americans, THE NATIONAL AGENDA 2000-2008 has been broadened to be inclusive of the issues and public policies that coincide with the interests of Hispanic American’s Native American, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Arab Americans and White Americans, as well as others who have been marginalized.

Substantial information quoted and referenced in this document was edited directly from the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Urban League, National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) and the joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (JCPES).

On October 16, 1995, the eyes of the world focused on more than one million Black men and others who traveled from all over America to assemble at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Those who were present and the millions who witnessed this event through satellite television cannot properly put into words the power of that moment in world history. While there have been numerous debates about the purpose of the Million Man March convened by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the accomplishments of those who attended, there is one fact upon which there is no ambiguity or confusion. The image of the Black man in America was changed from that moment forward. The image of the Black man in America was changed from that moment forward. The image that was distributed around the world of Black men and Black people as buffoons, savages, criminals and menaces to society was challenged and changed forever.

The spirit of the Million Man March is the spirit of God and we were made to see that it is possible to take a greater responsibility to improve the quality of life of our families and communities. Many in the world community have tapped into this spirit and made the commitment that their communities will not be doomed to failure and despair as we begin the twenty first century. The Million Man March Mission Statement pledged:

The Million Man March and Day of Absence only have lasting value if we continue to work and struggle beyond this day. Thus, our challenge is to take the spirit of this day, the process of mobilization and the possibilities of organization and turn them into ongoing structures and practices directed toward our liberation and flourishing as a people.²

Thirty days after the Million Man March, on November 16, 1995, delegates from throughout the United States gathered on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. for a meeting of the National African American Leadership Summit. The Leadership Summit adopted a Ten-Point Action Program that in part called for a National Political Convention to be held in 1996.

As a follow-up to the historic success of the Million Man March, the National Hearing on Issues and Public Policy, held on the campus of Kennedy-King College, Chicago, Illinois, July 26-27, 1996, produced The National Agenda 1996: Executive Summary.

The National Hearing on Issues and Public Policy served to facilitate a formal and systematic drafting of an outline of the most crucial concerns impacting the quality of life. We are grateful to those representatives and delegates who went to Chicago and participated fully in the national hearings.

In September 1996, the National Political Convention was convened in St. Louis, Missouri. The Convention was attended by thousands of delegates from throughout the United States. The National African American Leadership Summit (NAALS) and The Million Man March, Inc. co-sponsored the convention. The two major results of the convention were the adoption of a document entitled The National Agenda: Public Policy Issues and Action Items 1996-2001; and, the tremendous increase in voter-turnout in the 1996 national elections, particularly among Black men. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies based in Washington, D.C. documented the unprecedented upsurge in Black male voting in the national elections in November 1996. Of course, the increase of over one million Black male voters was directly a result of the success of the Million Man March.

Today we are preparing for the Million Family March, to be convened on October 16, 2000, in Washington, D.C. The Million Family March will be broader and more expansive in terms of scope and outreach based on the standard set by the Million Man March.

The Million Family March, therefore, will involve mobilizing and organizing around the numerous public policy issues that impact the quality of life not only for Black Americans but also for Hispanic, Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, Arab and White Americans. 

During the coming months we will support massive and ongoing voter-registration, education and turn-out-the-vote campaigns in every congressional district, state and region in the United States. The public policies outlined herein along with the analyses and programmatic plan of action will help us to achieve success on Monday October 16, 2000 in Washington, D.C. as well as the months and years that we will be engaging in follow-up action after The Million Family March.

We must continue to search for more effective means of communication and dissemination of information among our constituencies. We recognize that the social, political, economic and spiritual environment is dynamic and that constant reassessment will be a necessary element of any strategy.

THE NATIONAL AGENDA 2000-2008 of the Million Family March, is therefore the cumulative work-product of coalition-building, mutual clarification of issues, and commitment-bonding between Black, Hispanic, Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, Arab, and White Americans who seek to improve the quality of life of all families.

Reiterating The Million Man March and Day of Absence Mission Statement, we emphatically declare that we are “Conscious of the critical juncture of history in which we live and the challenges it poses for us.”³ 

THE NATIONAL AGENDA 2000-2008 will not only be transmitted to the platform committees and leaders of the Democratic, Republican, and Reform Parties, but this agenda will also be reproduced and disseminated to millions of persons through a national network of newspapers, radio and television stations, Internet users, and grassroots newsletters. We intend to increase voter-registration, education, and mobilization in every state.

Our goal is to transform the political system by practicing the principle of coalition-building and by affirming a God-centered, spirit-filled, mass movement for social transformation and empowerment. May Allah (God) continue to bless our efforts with success.

Dr. Benjamin F. Muhammad
National Director, Million Family March