Howard University students traveled to New York City for a peaceful organized march on Wall Street objecting to the exploitation and treatment of minority communities.
This march was hosted by the Howard University Chapter of the National Action Network (NAN) Aug. 28. The group’s goal was to march with activists across the country in New York City. In their press release, the chapter said they were “taking their demands of economic justice to Wall Street, not Washington.”
Olivia Carter, a sophomore English major from Los Angeles, California is an active member of the organization.
“Young people, especially HBCU students, must push this movement forward. In this political environment, it is our duty to carry the torch,” Carter said.
She noted that the march signaled a generational shift in leadership and served as one of many opportunities for Gen Z to gain experience before taking on a larger role in the movement.
NAN is a national civil rights organization founded in 1991 by Rev. Al Sharpton to further the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. At Howard, the chapter works with students to lead change and stand for justice.
Tabia J. Lee, a senior criminology major and sociology minor from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey by way of South Philadelphia, currently serves as the president of Howard’s NAN and envisions their march as a step towards better civil rights.
“Leading Howard students and D.C. community members into this national space was humbling, it meant carrying the weight of Howard’s legacy while creating new history with my peers,” said Lee, who also founded Howard’s chapter of NAN.
Howard students began their route at the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan. Students and D.C. community elders joined in the march, which started on 290 Broadway and ended about 18 minutes later at the Financial District on Wall Street.
The group left campus at five hours before the march began at 10 a.m., and students returned to campus at 10:30 p.m.
During the event the crowd listened to different speakers including Sharpton and Michael Eric Dyson. Additionally, there were various organizations for different parts of the country at the march.
“This experience showed me that NAN Howard must be a bridge between campus and the broader fight for justice, we want to be known not just for showing up in historic moments, but for building sustained power,” Lee said.
One of the six community members who joined the students from the NAN Howard Chapter was Jo-Lynn Gilliam. Being active in the organization since 2006, Ms. Gilliam has worked as a publication and community outreach officer for the Atlanta southeastern regional office.
“The struggle is not going anywhere, we can’t be so complacent because people sacrifice for us to even have the gains we’ve gotten throughout the years,” Gilliam said.
Ms. Gilliam described the march as very invigorating and was happy to be involved with a group of students from Howard University.
“We have people that are going to continue to fight because every generation has a responsibility,” Gilliam said.
Both students and community members alike share the same sentiment— a call for action. For Howard students, this was an opportunity to partake in a national movement regarding economic justice.
“By day’s end, we were tired but transformed. We returned to DC knowing we had represented Howard and shown what it means when young Black students step into leadership and action” Tabia Lee commented.
Moving forward, Howard’s NAN chapter plans to continue providing students with opportunities for advocacy and service to ensure the energy from this march carries into future initiatives on and off campus.
Copy edited by D’Nyah Jefferson – Philmore
