Research tool 01

Interactive Timeline Explorer

Trace the organizing, the October 1997 gathering, and the anniversaries that kept its public memory in motion.

8periods
13records
10sources
32years
Historical range 1995-2027
  3. The march
  8. Calendar milestone

The 2027 entry marks thirty years on the calendar. It is not an official event announcement.

Sourced chronology

Explore the historical record

13 records match filters

Year

Records

1997

October 25, 1997 March day
Contemporary record

The Million Woman March fills Philadelphia

Hundreds of thousands of Black women gather along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for a day of marching, prayer, music, speeches, solidarity, and calls to community action.

Contemporary reporting identifies Philé Chionesu and Asia Coney as the grassroots activists behind the call. The historical record documents a massive gathering while leaving the exact attendance unresolved.

Place
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia
Date confidence
Day
People in this record
Philé Chionesu, Asia Coney, Participants from across the United States
Research note

Attendance estimates vary widely; no single figure is presented as settled fact.

Evidence

Sources for this record

  1. 2
    'We Are Countless in Unity' (opens in a new tab)

    The Washington Post · October 26, 1997

  2. 4
    Pinback button promoting the Million Woman March (opens in a new tab)

    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture · 1997

  3. 3
    Organizing the Million Woman March (opens in a new tab)

    University of Wisconsin-Madison · January 28, 2023

Source directory

The evidence behind the chronology

The timeline separates contemporary reporting, museum records, later interviews, and historical synthesis so that each kind of evidence can be read in context.

  1. 01

    Institutional / Historical collection

    The Million Man March, 1995 (opens in a new tab)

    Library of Congress

    Provides context for the October 16, 1995 gathering that preceded the Philadelphia organizing effort.

  2. 02

    Tier A / Contemporary reporting

    'We Are Countless in Unity' (opens in a new tab)

    Michael A. Fletcher and DeNeen L. Brown, The Washington Post · October 26, 1997

    A next-day account of the gathering, its organizers, atmosphere, participants, and disputed crowd size.

  3. 03

    Tier B / Historical research

    Organizing the Million Woman March (opens in a new tab)

    Pamela Oliver, University of Wisconsin-Madison · January 28, 2023

    Reviews contemporary accounts of local organizing, the early website, and competing organizer narratives.

  4. 04

    Tier A / Museum object record

    Pinback button promoting the Million Woman March (opens in a new tab)

    Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture · 1997

    A cataloged 1997 object documenting the event date, city, and Benjamin Franklin Parkway location.

  5. 05

    Tier A / Contemporary reporting

    10 years later, a reprise of Million Woman March (opens in a new tab)

    Jeff Gammage, The Philadelphia Inquirer · October 18, 2007

    A preview of the tenth-anniversary gathering and its planned Parkway location.

  6. 06

    Tier C / Community press / organizer interview

    Black women celebrate 10th Anniversary of Million Woman March (opens in a new tab)

    Nisa Islam Muhammad, The Final Call · November 6, 2007

    A retrospective organizer account and recap of activities held October 25-27, 2007.

  7. 07

    Tier C / Contemporary community press

    Million Woman March 20th Anniversary: Raising Up The Mother Of Civilization (opens in a new tab)

    Charlene Muhammad, The Final Call · October 20, 2017

    A preview listing October 23-27 activities and the October 29 twentieth-anniversary reunion.

  8. 08

    Tier C / Community press / organizer interview

    Million Woman March in celebration of 17th anniversary launches a movement (opens in a new tab)

    Saeed Shabazz, New York Amsterdam News · November 6, 2014

    Covers the seventeenth-anniversary observance and records an organizer recollection of the early work.

  9. 09

    Tier C / Contemporary public-media reporting

    20th reunion for Million Woman March begins year of actions (opens in a new tab)

    Annette John-Hall, WHYY · October 28, 2017

    Reports on twentieth-anniversary activities and the planned October 29 reunion route.

  10. 10

    Tier C / Contemporary reporting

    On its 25th anniversary, organizers pledge another Million Woman March next year (opens in a new tab)

    Valerie Russ, The Philadelphia Inquirer · October 26, 2022

    Covers the twenty-fifth-anniversary reunion and records plans as announcements, not completed events.

Editorial scope

Descriptions summarize what the cited records support. Attendance figures remain attributed and disputed, organizer recollections are labeled as retrospective, and announced plans are not presented as completed events.

Continue researching

Move from the record index to the longer historical account of how the march developed and what followed.

Open the historical timeline

Independent historical publication. MWM20 is not the official website of, affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the National Million Woman March or its organizers.