The rally had been organised as part of a worldwide event to discuss the issue of reparations for slavery and to celebrate the birthday of Marcus Garvey who was born on August 17th 1887. Similar meetings were synchronised to occur all over the world on that day.

Whilst acknowledging that there is a problem with guns and crack in the community they sought to solve the problems using a more holistic approach and concerns were raised about the fact that black people in Brixton do not manufacture the guns or the crack which are multi million pound industries, yet these products are finding their way into black communities leading to further criminalisation of these communities.

The Pan-Africanist's organised the rally, but the people who contributed were black community groups and leaders from all across London, this included Uhuru, the Society of Black Lawyers, the Campaign for Truth and Justice, the African Peoples Socialist Party, the Nation of Islam, the black clergy etc etc as well as speakers from Barbados, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

The message being given was that now was a critical time for Africans and members of the diaspora, terrible things are occurring in Africa and the wounds of slavery still haven't been healed. It was a time for healing and action.

Further meetings were organised as an offshoot from this event, a delegation was organised to send to the African and African Descendants World Conference Against Racism (AAD WCAR) to be held in Barbados on 2.10.02,
a petition was prepared to take the British government and Monarchy to court over the issue of reparations and over £500 was raised to pay for the event which had received no government grants or other official funding.

Should we really support Marcus Garvey's Black Separatism as the solution for racism?
Whilst Marcus Garvey started out radical he moved to the right.
I just don't think the solution to racism is for black people to emigrate to Africa.

As to reparations to Africa for slavery, this goal is utopian. Anyway, many African local leaders participated in the local slave trade.

A better idea is to build the anti-capitalist movement in the North and the South, and smash the capitalist system that impoverished Africa in the first place, & continues to impoverish Africa today.