837,000 African-American men gather in Washington for ‘Million Man March’ 30 years ago today (Oct 16 1995)


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(Monday, October 16, 1995, during the Million Man March) — Heeding a call for personal atonement and racial solidarity, hundreds of thousands of African-American men gathered from across the nation in the heart of the capital today to vow stronger leadership in protecting their communities from violence and social despair.

“There’s a new black man in America today,” declared Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose call for the rally brought out an extraordinary throng — officially estimated at 400,000 — to gather in an exuberant mood of self-dedication on the Mall.