Monday marked the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March, which captivated Washington DC and not enough of the rest of the country Oct. 16 1995. Authorities at the original event estimated more than 100,000 people attended.

A decade later, in honor of that monumental movement, The Millions More Movement gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital, held hands and pledged to restore lives, rebuild communities and repair families.

This year’s movement focused on 10 key issues: Unity, spiritual values, education, economical development, political power, reparations, prison industrial complex, health, artistic/cultural development and peace.

According to the official Web site of the anniversary gathering, the original march resulted in more than 1.7 million black males registering to vote.

The Northern Star eagerly waits to see the positive results from this go-around with raising awareness.

A million people did not attend the original march, yet more than a million acted directly as its result.

The most important thing to remember is that change can be gradual. Rarely does anything happen all at once.

If each person at the first march affected only one person a year, it has reached its goal of a million.

Yet, if each person affected by the original 100,000 also influenced a person per year, who influenced a person per year, and so on … the sky is the limit for the emotional and political results from a decade ago.

The Millions More Movement has the same potential.

Yes, the gathering in Washington raised international awareness of issues affecting the African American community. But the effects will be greater felt on an interpersonal level as stories are retold, relationships are formed and bonds are made stronger by those who attended.

For that, the Star cannot wait to see what the future holds.

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www.northernstar.info.