New, independent voices arise from the Million Woman March

By S. Reid, The People's Tribune, Vol.24 no.12, December 1997

"I know that it feels a kind o' hissing' and tickling like to see a colored woman get up and tell you about ... women's rights. We have all been thrown down so low that nobody thought we'd ever get up again, but...we will."
--Sojourner Truth

On a cold and rainy October 25, hundreds of thousands of women, mainly African-American, converged on Philadelphia to celebrate the Million Woman March. They came because people talked to each other on the phone, in beauty salons, in supermarkets and on the streets.

That so many women came together, with so little publicity and money, proves we are living in new times. Today in America the average age of a homeless person is nine years old. Homelessness among women and children is the fastest-growing sector.

Communities are being destroyed with downsizing, welfare "reform," and poverty. In critical times, people search for the independent voices that address the problems they face. This is what the Million Woman March was about. It is no accident that it was led by women. Women everywhere are forced to the forefront of the struggle for a better world. African American women, because of the history of slavery, are at the core.

Although the march addressed many issues such as the CIA spreading crack cocaine, conditions of female inmates and health care, the theme of "repentence" has been criticized by some women participants. Today a whole generation is being discarded because of the power of a handful of billionaires who have no concern for humanity. They are the cause of our suffering. We have nothing to atone for.

The Million Woman March, and all such efforts, are a springboard to teach that society's problems cannot be resolved without addressing poverty and the homeless woman on the street. This is where our rulers are vulnerable and where we can attract the greatest numbers of people. Poor women are rising to the challenge and taking their place in the leadership of this growing movement.

The People's Tribune encourages our readers to join these independent voices and to utilize our paper to talk about women's equality and a new world.