WASHINGTON�The Million Family March (MFM) may be over but the mobilization of millions around the country is in high gear. The oft times quiet work of the local organizing committees (LOCs) in getting people to Washington, D.C., for the event of a lifetime has now manifested in the voter turnout of a lifetime.

"The success of the Million Family March on October 16, 2000 set the stage for the tremendous turnout of Black voters and other voters on November 7," said Min. Benjamin F. Muhammad, national director for the MFM. "The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan asked that we work diligently to mobilize around the National Agenda of the Million Family March."

And mobilize is what they did.

"This election gave hope to young voters 18-27, many of whom voted for the first time in their lives, because someone took the time to say to them you have to vote. It gave them a new perspective on the voting process when they saw the power of their vote," said Min. Abdul Khadir Muhammad, East Coast regional minister.

The data is still being gathered but preliminary reports suggest that Black voter turnout was higher than in the 1996 elections. That�s what was seen all around the country by people working to get the vote out.

"Black turnout increased in New York, Maryland, Delaware and Tennessee, substantially, but in many states such as Illinois, North Carolina, Michigan, Mississippi and Texas, the Black vote not only increased, but reached the percentage of the Black voting age population in each stage," said the Honorable Walter Fauntroy, director of the National Black Leadership Roundtable and a former congressman.

This type of massive turnout was also seen on the West Coast where voters are the last ones to go to the polls. "It was very heavy here (Los Angeles) and in the whole state," explained Min. Tony Muhammad, West Coast regional minister. "Voter turnout doubled in some areas. The Black vote was the strongest turnout for registered voters."

So what did it take to make these great strides in voter turnout? Rewind the tape back five years to the Million Man March (MMM). Political scientist and historian Cora Masters Barry organized the historic voter registration drive for the MMM.

"This was a critical part of the March and it had to be handled just right. Registering people is not just about filling out a form and sending it in. Voters have to be educated on how to fill out the form properly and then to come out and vote," said Mrs. Barry, former first lady of the nations� capital city.

That work led to an astounding 1.7 million new Black male voters that made their voices heard and their votes count in the 1996 and 1998 elections. But there is still much work to be done.

"Presently, there are approximately 19 million African Americans who are eligible to vote but not yet registered," said Mrs. Barry. "Add to that number the millions that are registered and just don�t vote for one reason or another and you get an idea of the problem."

Mrs. Barry said that every democratic political candidate since Lyndon Johnson has received overwhelming support from Black voters. Critics argued that this blind loyalty to the Democratic Party has resulted in the Black vote being taken for granted and few tangible benefits.

This coupled with little change in the status of the masses of Blacks regardless of who is in the White House, Democrat or Republican, has led to massive apathy among Black voters.

"One of the purposes of the Million Family March was to encourage the masses to exercise a right that they had never exercised before. The focus was not so much on can we deliver a specific candidate, but can we determine an election by the power of our voter turnout. We found that the answer was yes," said Min. Khadir.

Boston, a city not known for its Black voter turnout, saw their numbers go up dramatically as well. "We were over 60 percent, close to 70 percent, Black voter turnout as opposed to the last election in �96 when it was only 40 percent. We have an LOC that has been active since 1995 and we work with the NAACP. We had �Knock Across Boston� where we knocked on doors all across the city to reach voters," said Min. Don Muhammad, national consultant to Minister Farrakhan.

As the world waits impatiently for the results of the presidential election, the MFM mobilization is still marching on.

"The Million Family March is a continuous mobilization of families around the Million Family March�s National Agenda, which is an eight-year agenda, from the year 2000 until the year 2008," Min. Benjamin says. "The media has largely ignored the pivotal and determinant role Blacks played in the election. We aren�t ignoring what we accomplished. We see the need to build a third force and the MFM coalitions in local communities have been energized by the success of the MFM and voter turnout."

In the Next 90-120 days the MFM mobilization plans to do the following:

• Convene local and regional hearings to assess the political, economic, social and spiritual implications of the large voter turnout based on the National Agenda

• Work to strengthen the MFM mobilization of coalitions that worked together on the march (Blacks, Latinos, Asians, women, youth, etc.)

• Focus on the youth vote. Meet with Def Jam�s Russell Simmons to discuss the role youth played in voter turnout. Mobilize grassroots and college campus youth

• Work with the Congressional Black Caucus Task Force on the MFM headed by Rep. Earl Hilliard (D-Al.)

• Stress the importance of the MFM Economic Development Fund

"While the debate continues about who won or loss the election, we must activate our agenda regardless of who the next president is," said Min. Benjamin.

One of the issues on the National Agenda is the mobilization of families to become stronger financially and spiritually, and to achieve greater wealth development. "On one hand we believe in self-reliance and self-sufficiency. On the other hand, we know our true economic potential can not be maximized in a vacuum or in isolation from capital," Min. Benjamin says.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan asks that all of the participants of the Million Man March the Million Family March, and all of their friends and relatives, become a part of the Economic Development Fund, he explains. Min. Farrakhan is asking for one million people or families to donate just $100 per year to the fund, which will serve as an economic and social boost to our devastated urban communities, he says.

Nation of Islam National Secretary Kamal Muhammad, a financier by trade, says now is the time to push for equitable trade relations with the Motherland, which can, in turn, reap benefits for U.S. Blacks. Minister Farrakhan, through his world friendship tours, has opened the eyes of Blacks to the fact that there are large parts of the world looking for fair treatment in trade practices, he says.

(For more information on the Economic Development Fund, log on to millionfamilymarch.com, or send your donations to MFM Economic Development Fund, c/o Seaway National Bank, P.O. Box 19522, Chicago, Ill. 60619

Photos: #1-Brothers Nathaniel Muhammad and Michael Muhammad reinforce Min. Farrakhan's call for Blacks to exercise their right to vote by passing out election information to commuters;
#2-A line of voters stand in the rain outside this Montgomery, Ala, polling place waiting to case ballots.