Minister Louis Farrakhan called for "a million sober, disciplined, committed, dedicated, inspired black men to meet in Washington on a day of atonement." Approximately 400,000 African-American men went to Washington, D.C. to make their voices heard. Prominent African-American leaders joined them. Many speakers used the day not only for self-examination but also to continue the call for African-American rights and to examine racial injustice in America.

The march was very controversial and garnered a number of different reactions from African Americans across the nation. Here are a few thoughts on the Million Man March.

"It's important we have such a march to focus attention on the urban crisis and move from the negative urban policy of chasing welfare mothers, chastising their fathers and locking children up to some real commitment of reindustrialization of urban America."
         — Jesse Jackson

"I think the march is important in terms of awakening us to what needs to be done. But this has nothing to (do) with Farrakhan. I grew up in Mississippi. Since that hasn't gotten me to hate white folks, Farrakhan certainly can't get me to hate them."
         — Bilal Hasan, Atlanta, Ga.

"My hope is that the men who are in attendance will go home with a change of mind and a change of heart. I'm using this to begin a whole new stage of development in my life. I don't expect my life to be the same from this day forward."
         — Bruce Cornelius, Macon, Ga.

No march, movement or agenda that defines manhood in the narrowest terms and seeks to make women lesser partners in this quest for equality can be considered a positive step."
         — Angela Davis, Activist

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