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March coalition
sponsors Saturday school,
voting drive,health forums

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SAN JOSE--When members of the local community in San Jose, California, came together to support the Million Man March of 1995, they came together with vision and a structure to sustain that vision. Organized under the name "San Jose Million Man March Coalition," the various community organizations have developed a highly effective tool and model for utilizing the energy surge from the spirit of the march.

Despite being from several different organizations, this committee has an impressive sense of unity which is apparent in its structure and its ability to mobilize the community. There are sub-committees ranging from Education and Social Action to Youth and Economic Development.

According to Gail Ortega, coalition chairperson, some of the goals achieved are the Kwaida Cultural and Academic Institute (a Saturday school for children), a monthly newsletter and several voter registration drives. The coalition has also had a successful drive to have Black men tested for prostrate cancer and sponsored community forums on various issues such as politics, mental illness, incarceration and others, she added.

Joe Muhammad, minister of the Nation of Islam's San Jose Study Group and a key participant in the coalition, has a one-hour weekly radio show where he discusses the concerns of the community. To celebrate the first anniversary of the Million Man March, the coalition will release the first edition of its quarterly news journal entitled, "The March."
--Melanie Muhammad