On September 5, Khalid Muhammad and others plan to hold a "Million Youth March" in Harlem, whether or not they are able to secure a police permit. Much attention has been paid to Muhammad's established record of hateful rhetoric. But some supporters of the march are asking New York City residents to look beyond the man leading the march and celebrate the gathering of Black youth from across the country for a positive purpose.

Unfortunately, Muhammad is not the only "Million Youth March" organizer who promotes hateful, racist views. In particular, Malik Zulu Shabazz,

Malik Zulu Shabazz … has staunchly defended [Khalid] Muhammad's virulent anti-Semitism and racism and engaged in vicious rhetoric of his own.

National Coordinator and Legal Counsel for the "Million Youth March," has staunchly defended Muhammad's virulent anti-Semitism and racism and engaged in vicious rhetoric of his own.

For example, in introducing Khalid Muhammad at the October 1995 "Black Holocaust Nationhood Conference," Shabazz declared, "We want to bring on a man who gives the white man nightmares. We want to bring on a man who makes the Jews pee in their pants at night … My big brother, Dr. Khalid Muhammad!"

When confronted more recently on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor with Muhammad's past anti-Semitic comments, Shabazz countered by saying, "Are you going to deny that the Jewish people have been substantially and significantly involved in the African holocaust? They have and you can't deny that." This assertion echoes the willful misrepresentations of history characteristic of anti-Semitic propaganda from some members of the Nation of Islam and other extremists. (For the record, no one has ever denied that a tiny percentage of the early slave traders happened to be Jews. Needless to say, they were not acting as Jews, nor does this fact justify bigotry toward Jews.)

Shabazz's record of extremist speech can be traced to his years as a law student at Howard University. In February 1994, as founder and leader of Unity Nation-a student group for supporters of the Nation of Islam-Shabazz organized a rally featuring Khalid Muhammad. As a warm-up for Muhammad's appearance, Shabazz led the audience in this anti-Semitic call-and-response:

Two months later, Shabazz refused to apologize for his remarks and told an interviewer, "I sympathize with the suffering of all people, but stop pushing your Holocaust down my throat when the Black Holocaust is the worst holocaust black humanity has ever seen." But Shabazz himself has been slow to exhibit any sympathy for others, choosing instead to lash out at Jews and whites in an effort to promote Black pride and consciousness.

A rally that seeks to gather Black youth from around the country to stand united in their desire to better their communities is one that all ethnic and religious groups should support. We wholeheartedly uphold the Constitutional right to freedom of expression and assembly, but we would hope that those concerned with finding creative and positive solutions to critical social problems confronting young people in this country would exercise those rights responsibly. However, Shabazz does not rise to that challenge; instead of responding constructively, his hate-filled language will likely cause further discord and mistrust.