Second Anniversary of the Million Man March in St. Louis, October 16, 1997
St. Louis celebrated the second anniversary of the Million Man March at the Gateway Arch, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The theme of the gathering was "young, gifted & atoned."
Organizers called for a "Holy Day of Atonement, a day of absence, reconciliation, and responsibility." They used an image of the number one containing the religious iconography of Christianity (cross), Islam (crescent moon and star), and Judaism (Star of David) to symbolize unity.
A folded flyer advertising the event is pictured below. (The flyer is shown here at approximately half scale as compared to the photographs below.)
Below: The attendees raise their right fists in solidarity as they listen to the speakers on the stage.
Men, women, and children attentively gathered at the base of the Arch.
Below: In the first photograph, Eugene Redmond stands between Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr., and former Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr.; an unidentified man stands on the other side of Bosley, Jr. In the next photo, the former mayor signs autographs for two of the "young, gifted & atoned" attendees.
The woman in this photo is wearing a Million Woman March sweatshirt. That March would take place nine days later in Philadelphia (Janofsky).
Click here to see all of the photographs from the Redmond Collection related to the Million Man March.
References:
Janofsky, Michael. "At Million Woman March, Focus Is on Family." New York Times, October 26, 1997. Online access is restricted to SIUE users.