Revolution #019, October 23, 2005, posted at revcom.us
On October 15, hundreds of thousands gathered in Washington, DC for the Millions More Movement. Revolution received the following correspondence from members of the Chicago Revolutionary Writers and Artists Collective.
With a group of approximately 300 people (mostly Black Muslims), we awaited departure from a mosque on the south side of Chicago. There was a team of about 12 people promoting the World Can’t Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime movement. We watched a reporter from ABC interview only four of hundreds to derive what she felt our sentiment was. She also told me that "these people are not angry." Her view is obviously not the sentiment of the Millions More Movement, and we set out to get the truth.
As the bus convoy arrived in a suburb of DC, where we would be catching a train into the city, we had the opportunity to interview some families from the East Coast who would be attending the march. The people we spoke to hoped to achieve unity in a struggle against oppression and racism. They felt the goal of the march was to bring about awareness through education and to promote involvement in a movement of the betterment of Black people.
As we exited the subway station, we emerged into a busy crowd of people--many religious, nationalist, and political groups--all seeming to have the same sentiment: "We are upset with the way things are in our communities, in our government, and in the world." With the horrors of Katrina still fresh in memory, many, many people were disgusted with the Bush regime. Thousands of people reacted with support for the "Wanted: The Bush Regime" posters and t-shirts. People gathered to buy them and take World Can’t Wait flyers. When people saw us wearing the Wanted shirts with Bush and his crew’s profile printed on it, people stopped to take pictures or asked where they could get some for themselves.
The hundreds of thousands gathered on Constitution Street and on the Mall were not here solely to reminisce the Million Man March many of them experienced 10 years ago. They were here in mass disapproval of the direction the government is taking the United States. Dissatisfied people denounced the war from the stage, reminding hundreds of thousands that "People are dying for a false cause…The government lied…The troops should not be fighting in Iraq and we need to bring them home now…Bush should be impeached!"
In the Mall, you could see hundreds of bright green posters held by spectators and activists, children, and families. The signs stated, "The World Can’t Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime, Mobilize for November 2nd." A World Can’t Wait supporter told me that there were many here at Millions More "on the brink, ready to throw everything in and get with the people."