Black women have played pivotal roles in every major movement in this country. From being female spies in the civil war, to fighting alongside the men in the civil rights movement, and protesting in the streets of Ferguson, women of color have always had a part in civil change. This was no different in last week’s Justice or Else March, as black women and men flocked to our nation’s capital to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.
Twenty years ago, hundreds of thousands of black men descended upon Washington D.C. to partake in a march that was designed to bring togetherness and unity to the black community. That togetherness and unity wasn’t aimed towards black women, who make up more than half of the black community. And there were women at that march as well, but their presence is often overlooked. Women of color are easily erased from history and from the movements, some of which they led. Two Hampton women who refused to be erased are juniors, Mariah McClain and Tiava Jordan. They skipped HU Homecoming Weekend to travel to D.C. and be apart of the 20th anniversary commemoration.
I don’t know many students who would miss the homecoming game, parade, and all of the parties. But for Mariah McClain the march was too important to miss. “There will be several homecomings, I can always come back and go to homecoming, but being apart of Justice or Else is being a part of history,” she said. Mariah, an on campus activist, went to the march with her organization Hampton University Generation Forward along with members of HU’s NAACP, and Men’s Caucus. Tiava Jordan felt that she had a duty to attend the march “as a sister, as a cousin, and a lover of black men, to go and support blackness.”
As a woman in the movement, Mariah is very aware of the possibility of her needs being erased. Mariah is also aware of how important a role black women play in the Black Lives Matter Movement. “Black Lives Matter is not a male dominated movement,” Mariah says, “[it] was started by not only three women, but three queer women.” She believes that anyone who doesn’t advocate for the liberation of all black people, including women, and the LGBT community is not truly apart of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Both women had the opportunity to be apart of history last week. They took that opportunity and will hopefully go on to make their own change in the future. When asked what was the most memorable part of her time in D.C. Mariah mentioned how much she enjoyed being around so many black people and how contrary to what many people expected, the march remained peaceful. For Tiava, the most noteworthy moment was the speech given by Minister Ava Muhammad, the first female minister to preside over a mosque in the Nation of Islam. Minister Muhammad’s inspiring feminism and her words of encouragement to women everywhere fascinated Tiava.