by Abdul K. Muhammad
CHICAGO—On October 16 on the campus of Chicago State University, over 240 young Black men were introduced to the commemoration of the historic 1995 Million Man March through male bonding and extracurricular activities taught by other Black men in the community. The event, “Males 2 Men,” was sponsored by Hip-Hop DetoxX.
The Million Man March/Holy Day of Atonement was called by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan when nearly two million Black men came to Washington, D.C., in the spirit of atonement, reconciliation, and responsibility.
Brother Enoch Muhammad, also known as “N.O.C,” and his wife, Sister Kesha Muhammad, co-founders of the Hip-Hop DetoxX, have been holding events as early as 2002.
This year’s “Males 2 Men” seminar featured activities like boxing, African drumming, chess, drill instruction, and drone flying. These young teens were introduced to the principles of manhood and the importance of uplifting each other within their communities.
“Ever since the Million Man March, we looked to do something that was in honor and commemoration of that day, a day of absence and atonement to reconcile our differences,” Bro. Enoch stated.
“Last year in 2023 was our first time hosting an ‘official’ Males 2 Men seminar, but we’ve been doing stop the killing rallies, teach-ins, workshops, open mics, and different formats that would communicate the same principles of the Million Man March,” Sis. Kesha added.
“The Males 2 Men seminar is an outgrowth of the Males 2 Men empowerment program from 2008. When we started doing our programs, we didn’t go by ‘Hip-Hop DetoxX,’ and the name for Hip-hop detox wasn’t coined until 2006 after inspiration from the Millions More Movement,” Bro. Enoch explained. The Millions More Movement, also called by Minister Farrakhan, was held in 2005.
Student Minister Abdul Muhammad of Mosque Maryam in Chicago helped facilitate some of the workshops at the seminar as well as other F.O.I. (Fruit of Islam, the men of the Nation of Islam) from Mosque Maryam.
The young men had roughly an hour to participate in a specific workshop before rotating to another. Bro. Enoch even taught some of the young brothers drill movements akin to what is taught within the Nation of Islam.
“I think the Males 2 Men seminar is good. It’s good for the teens and the kids to learn about their history and what it means to be a man and not just a male. … A man is someone who takes responsibility, doing whatever it takes to take care of their family,” said Mike Jones, an 18-year-old student at Innovations High School.
After making rotations to other activities, the group came together at the end of the seminar on the principles that the Million Man March represented and were encouraged to return to their communities to be better men, brothers, sons, and eventually fathers to their communities.
For more information about the Males 2 Men seminar and other events by Hip-Hop DetoxX, contact [email protected].
