On a very cold, very rainy Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia, a group of African-American women came together to celebrate themselves and their people.

This group of women decided it was time to meet each other and make plans for the future — both their own and their communities.

The women joined each other in the “City of Brotherly Love,” and they reworked the definition of sisterly love and what it really means to be responsible. Some of the women knew each other while the majority did not, yet by the end of the day everyone felt like family.

The plan was for a million woman to show and to participate, but some estimates say the number wasn’t quite that high, while others say it was right on the ball. But it wasn’t important how many showed — what was important is that they showed.

The focus of the march was not unlike that of the Million Man March 2 years ago. The focus was on the black family and the future of the black community. The women gathered to reaffirm their commitment to their families and to the future of their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, as well as to make plans to take care of their responsibilities to themselves.

The message of the march is one that should not only be heard in the black community but every community in our country. From the Puerto Rican neighborhoods of New York to the Cuban Areas of Miami to Polish and Greek communities of Chicago, responsibility for one’s actions and for one’s family is an issue for every community, not just that of African Americans.

Responsibility is not a trait which is inborn, it is learned and taught by the family. And as we all know, mothers are the first and last teachers in all families. Women are the center of a community and a family. It is great that these women understand that and are prepared to handle it.