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Sharpton Prepares Howard Students for Jena Part 2

By Jada Smith
Black College Wire

Howard University's Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel was filled with proactive Howard students and concerned community members alike chanting "No justice, no peace!"

Oscar Merrida IV Al Sharpton at Howard

The Howard University chapter of the NAACP and the Xi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. hosted a pre-rally Nov. 13 for a nationwide protest set to take place three days later at the National Mall in downtown Washington, D.C.

The National March on Washington for Justice: Jena part 2, will be held at the U.S. Department of Justice in an effort to convey outrage to the country's justice system, which has recently failed many African-American victims of hate crimes.

According to the communications committee for the march, the aim is to duplicate the protests in Jena, La. and express intolerance for the recent hate crimes happening across the country.

Social actrivist and community leader Rev. Al Sharpton presented the keynote address at the pre-rally, emphasizeing the importance of the black community getting involved in the current state of the country's justice system and challenging the audience to understand that injustice affects them, too.

"The purpose of a march is not to solve a problem," Sharpton said. "The purpose of a march is to expose a problem. It is very important to understand that if you're not marching for [Mychal] Bell or Johnson, then march for you. You have to ask yourself, 'what am I doing to make a difference in this country?'"

The case of Megan Williams, a black woman in West Virginia who was tortured by a crew of white men and women, and the case of Mychal Bell and the Jena Six will be the main focus in Friday's march.

Sharpton pointed out how different groups in America often fight for themselves and their rights, but blacks often tend to retreat from action.

"Why aren't we dealing with our problems? Everybody in America is marching," Sharpton said. "The gays and lesbians are marching, the screen writers are marching, the Broadway actors are marching. So why aren't we?"

During the rally on Nov. 16, the protestors will march around the Department of Justice building seven times to symbolically represent the biblical story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho, in which God's chosen people marched around the city of Jericho seven times for seven days and the walls of their oppressors came tumbling down.

Dr. Gregory Carr, an African-American studies professor at Howard University, spoke about the coming victory for African Americans in the United States.

"The Justice Department is a joke, a big joke," Carr said. "But our concern is not with that. Our concern is to speak truth to power. We are going to win this struggle. Victory is eminent, whether it's in 1,500 years or 15 minutes, we will win.'

Joshua Seavoe, Student Bar Association president of the Howard University Law School, said that Sharpton's speech helped to ignite a fire needed on this campus to impact change.

"I think he made a good argument for why in this day and age we still need to be concerned, involved, outraged and outspoken about instances of injustice across the country," Seavoe said.

Despite the thousands expected to attend the rally, Sharpton believes that students like those at Howard will be the change the world needs to see.

"Students like you will make the difference," he said. "It's people in your age group are the one's that are suffering, and you are the ones that are going to be affected."

Jada Smith, a student at Howard University, writes for the Hilltop. To comment, please e-mail .

Posted Nov. 15, 2007