PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE

Monday, October 27, 1997

Texans trek to Philadelphia for Million Woman March

DALLAS (AP) - Furiously snapping pictures of the thousands of black women around her, Dallas resident Sadiyah Muhammad marveled at the making of history at the Million Women March in Philadelphia.

Ms. Muhammad and hundreds of thousands of black women converged on the city for Saturday's march, the first gathering of its kind celebrating the sisterhood of African descendants.

"The men made their statement," said Ms. Muhammad, a caseworker for the Dallas County mental health department. "Now it's time for women to come together and bring about change because society is not working."

Organizers of the event said they had more than two million participants at the march, which featured remarks from South African activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., rap artist Sister Souljah and Dorothy Height, president of the National Council of Negro Women.

Police, meanwhile, would only estimate that the spirited crowd of women and men ranged from 300,000 to one million.

The day was an experience that Fort Worth resident Yolanda Winston said she will always remember.

"When we first got to the morning prayer, we were really sleepy because we didn't go to bed until after 2:30 in the morning because we were so excited," Ms. Winston, 26, said.

"We held hands, sang old spirituals and embraced one another."

Some Texans who began the trip as strangers made friends quickly.

"We autographed shirts, books, posters, and took pictures with complete strangers," said Arlington resident Ruth Jackson, 46.

At the end of the day, participants walked away energized.

"I've never been in the midst of anything like this," yelled Diane Ragsdale, calling from a telephone deep in the crowd. "This was exceptional and inspirational."

Ms. Ragsdale, a former Dallas City Council member, and more than two dozen other Dallas-area women were picked up Thursday at St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church by a busload of women from Houston.

Saturday's two-mile trek began near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Participants, including many with young children, snaked past City Hall, ornate museums and five-star hotels before ending in front of the steps made famous by the movie "Rocky."

Speeches about the plight of children and the need to strengthen families struck a chord in Marvelle Williams, a Dallas businesswoman.

She attended the rally with her own sisters who came in from New Haven, Conn., and was encouraged by the thousands of young girls who attended with their mothers and grandmothers.

"Our children are bright," Ms. Williams said. "If they can understand Nintendo and Sega, then IBM and Microsoft can help our children so they can be at the top of the 21st century."Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: