Black Activists Plan Strategy in Wake of March

Led by the organizers of the “Million Man March,” hundreds of black activists gathered Friday in hopes of agreeing on a common agenda for political and social change.

But at a nationally televised town hall meeting, tensions surfaced between those who wanted to emphasize spiritual renewal and others who said the focus should be working more through the political system. In the end, there was general agreement that both strategies were needed.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said he was worried that, in the aftermath of the march last month, “our energy is not as connected to public policy as it should be.”

“If Newt Gingrich is still the Speaker of the House next fall, we’ve failed,” he said, calling for a renewed focus on political power to combat conservatives in Congress.

But others on the panel assembled for the National African American Leadership summit said the focus must first be on spiritual and moral values.