Yesterday’s Million Man March was a step in the right direction. Thousands of black men from across the country rallied in Washington D.C. for “a day of atonement and reconciliation.”

They joined for the purposes of taking responsibility for their lives and helping combat problems of drugs, violence and unemployment.

The event has been scrutinized because its originator, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, holds anti-semitic, sexist views. However, supporters of the march, including Jesse Jackson and Rosa Parks, are encouraging the meeting of black men, not the ideals of Farrakhan.

President Clinton supports the goals of the march, while he strongly opposes Farrakhan’s prejudicial comments. And Rev. Vernor Clay told his congregation Sunday, “It’s not about a march, a man, words. It’s about a movement.”

Forget Farrakhan. The Million Man March is a movement by black men uniting to improve their own lives, as well as the lives of others.