Phi Beta Sigma building to serve as national headquarters for Million Man March
BlackNews.com
Washington, D.C . — In a move symbolic of its commitment of service to humanity, the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. International president, Jonathan A. Mason, Sr. turned over the keys to office space in the community service organization’s headquarters to Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. to serve as the National Mobilization Headquarters for the 20th Anniversary Million Man March.
On Oct. 10, in Washington, D.C., at the National Mall, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan will convene the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March under the theme: “Justice or Else!”
In 1995, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity’s international corporate offices served as the official headquarters for the inaugural Million Man March, which Farrakhan also convened.
Twenty years later, Chavis, a member of Phi Beta Sigma, is returning to 145 NW Kennedy St., Washington D.C., to assist with organizing the historic gathering. He is president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 10, “Justice or Else!” The 20th Anniversary Million Man March will focus on justice for individuals of every ethnic background.
“We are once again proud to announce our commitment to the Million Man March. Twenty years ago, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. stepped forward and offered our headquarters as the staging location for the historic march,” Mason said. “Today, we celebrate the march’s milestones and reinforce our “I Am My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, as we wholeheartedly support the Million Man March 20 years later.”
Since celebrating its centennial in Jan. 2014, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity has paid homage to its founders by leading the charge on several national issues.
The service-based fraternity has been a leader in eradicating hazing among fraternities and sororities; participated in the National Day of Protest in wake of the suspicious killings of young African-American males; hosted a prayer vigil and youth summit in Ferguson, Missouri, in response to the Michael Brown killing; issued a statement supporting racial tolerance in the aftermath of the senseless killing of nine congregants at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charlestown, South Carolina; and hosted “Real Talk,” a panel discussion that featured some of the nation’s top thought-leaders on the topic of securing the future for the next generation of boys and men of color.
“20 years ago, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. made the historic decision to provide its headquarters building on Kennedy Street NW in Washington, DC as the national office of the Million Man March. We are once again grateful to Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity for continuing its national leadership role by providing their resolute support of the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March. The best way to celebrate Black history is to make more history,” Chavis said.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., founded on Jan. 9, 1914 at Howard University, is a global organization with over 450 chapters and 150,000 members.
To learn more, visit www.phibetasigma1914.org.
For more information about the Million Man March go to www.justiceorelse.com.
