BOSTON�The city seems ready to make history with record participation in the upcoming Million Family March due to the local organizing committee formed here by Muhammad Mosque No. 11, as well as support from community organizers, residents and the Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus (MBLC).

Following several local Million Family March town hall meetings, representatives of the Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus and leaders of key constituencies gathered in support of the march at Boston�s State House, located on historic Beacon Hill near the African Meeting House, the oldest Black church in the country and what was the first public school in Boston established for Black children.

The gathering showed a unity of spirit and passion among many people who have fought for justice in Boston for years, including such community organizations as the Roxbury YMCA; the Boston and South Middlesex branches of the NAACP; Dimock Community Health Center; Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center; Unity First News; Gang Peace, Inc.; National Council of Negro Women-Greater Boston Section; Black Community Information Center; the Neighborhood Development Corporation of Grove Hall; religious and other organizations.

"This movement of marches representing unity in the Black community of men, women, boys and girls, is important to the U.S. today and will be even more important in the 21st century, given that when African Americans unify in this country, everybody benefits," said state Rep. Byron Rushing, one of Boston�s top historians and a member of the MBLC.

Imam Taalib Mahdee of Masjid El Qur�an of Boston, added, "We are coming back to the original idea of what God wants�for us all to come together for all that is good."

"This march is the final phase of the Million Man March and intends to bring the human family together. We hope that the same thing happens locally. These people and organizations represent significant numbers of people," commented Nation of Islam Minister Don Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No. 11. He is working hard to surpass the 9,000 people from Boston who attended the Million Man March in 1995 at the Million Family March.

Mosque No. 11 and the local organizing committee, with chairperson Ralph Muhammad, has been holding community-wide town hall meetings for hundreds of attendees, who are mobilizing for the march.

A mosque bookstore, The Tape Connection, with the help of Patricia Muhammad is a hub for registering families for the march. "The town meetings are a great success because of the participation of the community," said Min. Don. "We are extremely excited about the enthusiasm demonstrated by the representation of residents, including a strong showing by area youth. It is great to see such excitement in our community towards the event."

"I am very excited about the Million Family March effort because it is a grass- roots effort and people are moving it forward," said state Rep. Shirley Owens Hicks of the 6th Suffolk District and chairwoman of the MBLC, who addressed a town hall meeting.

The caucus has endorsed the march and wants the city to help promote it, she added.

State Rep. Gloria Fox, who has been instrumental in the Boston Million Women March Committee, is one of Boston�s most vocal supporters of the Million Family March, along with state Senator Dianne Wilkerson. Ms. Fox, incoming chair of the MBLC and vice chair of the Regional Conference of Black State Legislators, is excited about "the united efforts shown by Blacks and all the people who work together in support of the march."

Facing serious issues�failing schools, racial profiling, lagging health status for non-white residents, drug abuse, violence, the need for community revitalization and economic empowerment, as well as other problems�area Black legislators and community organizations recognize that a stronger family means stronger communities. Unity is a critical issue for the Boston community, they say.

"The actual survival of our community is dependent on the preservation of the family structure and the reaffirmation of family values. The Million Family March is vital for our community to bring about the concept of a village. I commend the Nation of Islam for bringing us together, to unify people of color to address the issues," said NAACP Boston branch President Leonard Alkins, who endorsed the march.

"For people such as myself, who have been raised in Boston, this is long overdue. We�ve been fragmented too many years. We need to show strength, the power of the vote and the power of nurturing our children," he said.

The Massachusetts Minority State Police Officers� Association Inc. president, Kenneth Daddabbo, a Cape Verdean, sees the march as an historic event for children and youth. "This is an event where our youth can make history and have something to remember for years to come, and this is important," he stressed.

Rep. Chuck Turner, a long-time activist in the Boston area, added, "The march will give us an opportunity in Boston to examine local and national issues, while making the day not just a moment, but a continuous force in this city, by taking our dialogues to the next level, and to a higher force."

Meanwhile, in Buffalo, N.Y., billboards went up throughout the city showing the smiling faces of local families, cheerfully beckoning passing motorists to join them at the Million Family March.