CHICAGO (AP) - Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said the suffering of Hurricane Katrina victims has brought black Americans together.
Farrakhan, in a speech at a church Tuesday night, said that just as Democrats and Republicans came together after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, black Americans of all religions must join forces to help hurricane victims.
"Katrina is our reason," he said, urging the hundreds of attendees to transform any anger into "constructive energy to channel the movement."
The movement is his Millions More Movement, formerly the Million Man March, which will commemorate its 10th anniversary with an Oct. 15 rally on the National Mall in Washington.
The rally will include women, unlike the 1995 Million Man March, which drew thousands of people to Washington. Farrakhan said the upcoming rally will include a range of black organizations and religious groups.
Clifford Kelley, a former Chicago alderman who hosts a radio talk show, said those who support the Millions More Movement and Farrakhan do not need to be Muslim.
"We should all be involved in this," Kelley said. "This is not about religion, it is about unity."
Farrakhan has spent the last several months touring cities to encourage people to travel to the nation's capital for the march.
