Johnson and Purnell Profile

Two in a Million

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Some people study history. Others teach it. Two students became part of it. They were two in a million. Senior Bryan Johnson heard about the Million Man March on Black Entertainment Television during the summer. "I never thought that I'd go," he said. "I said 'That's going to be something.' From that moment on, the seed was planted." Johnson talked to fellow track team member junior Eric Purnell when school resumed. They rented a car and drove in one day from Bloomington to Washington, D.C., Oct. 15, a day before the march. After touring the city until 3 a.m., they went to a hotel to rest for a few hours.

They rose with the sun and arrived at Capitol Hill around 8 a.m. Purnell said he had never seen so many people gathered in one place. He said the media only showed small areas of the district, but in fact there was much more to be seen. "It's not describable. I was in awe for the simple fact that I was seeing the capitol," Purnell said of his first trip to Washington D.C. "Then I looked around. People were everywhere—they were in trees and hanging off monuments. I didn't know what to expect; I was wondering how big this thing would be." The day of driving and sightseeing and the morning in the Mall drained the two friends. They napped in their car until noon when the march began in full swing. Although estimates were lower, both Purnell and Johnson said it seemed like a million people attended the march. They attributed the high numbers to the friendliness and brotherhood they witnessed. Vendors sold pancakes, eggs, fish and vegetables. T-shirts and literature about the Nation of Islam were also available for sale at the site.

Despite controversial press coverage which portrayed the march as racially divisive, Purnell and Johnson said there was a true sense of cohesiveness in the district that day. Purnell said he believed Americans simply like controversy. Though the march's main organizer, Louis Farrakhan, was inflammatory at times during the march, Purnell said he thought the event was unifying as a whole and advocated acceptance of all races. "It really wasn't tense—it was a peaceful thing," he said. "The people wanted to come together. We got to start standing up and doing [things] for ourselves. I felt empowered that I could help my family and help my people in the future." Johnson agreed with Purnell. He said those who attended the march did not go only to support its leaders. "I look at someone's character," he said. "[It's] not what they say, but what they do. It [the unity of the march] was way bigger than all of those folks. It just so happened that they put it together." Though Purnell and Johnson left the march early to return to classes, they brought lessons and memories from their experiences with them. The road trip, meeting people and being part of a historical event inspired them. "It makes me feel proud to think I was one in a million," Purnell said of his day at the march. "I was there—that's something you can tell your kids. It goes down in the history books. So many people of African descent were there—not for a party or a basketball game but for a positive cause." He added, "If each person went back home that day and did something positive, that will start a chain reaction."

Senior Bryan Johnson recounts his trip to Washington, D.C., and his participation in the Oct. 16 Million Man March. Johnson and junior Eric Purnell rented a car to travel to the event. Photo by Monty Howell.

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