In this 1995 episode, Jobman Caravan examines the aftermath of the Million Man March and ongoing community organizing efforts in South Carolina. Host Patricia Bennett speaks with participants about their commitments and features a panel discussing volunteer opportunities in prisons and schools while highlighting planned local initiatives stemming from the national gathering.
The episode opens with testimonials from men who attended the Million Man March, sharing specific pledges they made. Participants committed to registering at least 20 unregistered voters, joining organizations like the NAACP and National Blacks in Criminal Justice, and engaging in prison mentorship programs to reduce recidivism rates.
One participant explained his prison outreach goals: “We have to do something to put a dent in the number of folks who return to prison over and over. We have to somehow make a way for them to come out and get back into society, something that the prison system isn’t doing right now.” Others expressed interest in adopting prisoners through letter-writing and post-release support, following Minister Louis Farrakhan’s call for direct community involvement.
Haskell Heights Community Initiative
Dr. Andrew Chisholm, Director of USC’s Violence and Substance Abuse Prevention Center, and Minister Earl Muhammad outlined plans for targeted community intervention beginning December 30th in Columbia’s Haskell Heights neighborhood. The initiative, themed “Stop the Killing, Start the Healing,” represented the first concrete local action stemming from the march.
Minister Muhammad explained their approach: “We have identified certain problems in that community. We said prior to going to the Million Man March that we wanted to target communities and to begin to redevelop those communities one at a time.” The strategy emphasized spiritual foundation, noting that “75 or 80% of people who are unchurched” needed connection to religious organizations as the basis for community rebuilding.
Prison Volunteer Opportunities
Chaplain Larry Bennett Shaw from Broad River Correctional Institution detailed volunteer needs within the prison system, which housed 68% African American inmates. Shaw emphasized how community involvement maintains crucial connections: “By the community coming in, it keeps their prisoner connected with his community, keep that link there that someone cares.”
Volunteer opportunities included religious programming, educational support, recreational activities, and direct mentorship through cell-to-cell visitation. Shaw noted the particular need for African American volunteers from mainline denominations, as inmates could better identify with people who looked like them.
School System Volunteer Needs
Janet K. Thompson, Education Associate for Community Involvement with the South Carolina Department of Education, stressed the critical need for male volunteers in schools. She explained that many students, particularly in elementary schools, encounter only female authority figures throughout their day.
“For our Black men to come into the schools, their presence will make such a tremendous difference,” Thompson stated. “Our young men would see, this is a man that I could possibly follow after.” Volunteer opportunities ranged from reading with children and tutoring to sharing professional expertise and serving as mentors.
Statewide March Planning
The panel announced plans for a major statewide march on March 2nd, calling for 50,000 African American men to march alongside 50,000 African American women in Columbia. This event would serve as a platform to present concrete plans developed through consultation with organizing committees across South Carolina.
Dr. Chisholm emphasized the march’s purpose beyond awareness: “The purpose of all of these marches are not just to make aware, but to also put in place responses that would eliminate the problems.” The goal was to address social, political, economic, and moral issues affecting African Americans statewide.
National Leadership Unity
The episode discussed the recent National Black Leadership Summit in Washington, where leaders from various organizations including the Urban League, NAACP, and Rainbow Coalition demonstrated immense unity. Dr. Chisholm noted this collaboration was essential: “We can ill afford again to address the problems of African Americans by sectoring ourselves. We must come out, regardless of being a Muslim, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, whatever our religious denomination may be.”
