October 22nd, 1995
Walt and George start by discussing the Million Man March, organized by Louis Farrakhan and others to promote Black men taking responsibility and leadership in their families, communities and the country. Walt talks about how black families were not as violent and disconnected before the dominance of the welfare state. He says that both the left and the right are able to look at things like Brown versus the Board of Education and bussing as both bad and good. Positions are solidified-no gray areas. Policies to assure survival but are necessary but they also kill creativity. The focus on electing the right person as the number one focus for Black people diverts from taking creative control of their lives and their communities. Need a balance of focus between what is necessary and what is creative, which is true in religion, politics and other arenas. Absolutizing the law is the most dangerous component of Islam and Christianity as well as the Democrats and the Republicans. Walt also talked about the focus of “atonement” in the March and said that it is essential to look at history and understand the depth of the origins of the slave trade as including Islam. History is a “recounting of man’s absurdities.” He talked about the fact that really listening to one of the Black women that Project Neighbors has helped would offer more history than we could ever find -he has learned so much from her. He wanted so much to get her story out and talked about how to do it.
