Million Woman March (1997)

Sat Oct 25, 1997

Image

The Million Woman March was a protest march held on this day in 1997, involving approximately 500,000 people on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A major theme of the march was family unity and what it means to be a black woman in America. The women of the march called for three things: repentance for the pain of black women caused by one another, and the restoration and resurrection of black family and community bonds.

The march, which was organized by two Philadelphia grass roots activists, Phile Chionesu and Asia Coney, enjoyed substantial turnout despite short notice and bypassing traditional leaders and organizations that had played an important role in organizing the Million Man March in 1995, such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Notable speakers at the event included Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Sista Souljah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Attallah and Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughters of Malcolm X, and Dr. Dorothy Height. A message from Assata Shakur, living in exile in Cuba, was also read.