Thousands of people left Washington, D.C. after Saturday’s Millions More Movement Rally – many by buses, planes, trains and cars – and headed back home while still pondering the question that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. posed in the title of one of his books: “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”

That was an apt question when Dr. King posed it 38 years ago, and it’s apt now.

It’s easy to stand on the sidelines, as many do, and point to the shortcomings of the march organizers and to second-guess their agenda. However, if one does not propose and act on an alternative vision, their comments should fall on deft ears. After all, opinions are like behinds – everyone has one.

One of the most frequent criticisms of Saturday’s march was that it did not have the same energy or numbers as the Million Man March. That’s true. It’s also an unfair comparison. We shouldn’t expect to replicate that historic event. It was a unique moment, organized around a narrow and emotional issue and participants will have a special memory to cherish for the rest of their lives. Those who passed up the event, for whatever reason, will just have to accept the fact that they missed out on a once in a lifetime experience.

It should be remembered that Black men came to the National Mall 10 years ago, in large part, as an act of defiance. Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League launched a relentless public assault on Minister Louis Farrakhan. The more Foxman attacked Farrakhan, the more African-American men rallied around the Nation of Islam leader. The fact that the NAACP, the National Urban League, Colin Powell and Bill Clinton had all denounced the march was of no consequence. Someone needed to stand up for Black men and Farrakhan led that charge.

This time, a broad range of issues were placed on the table. And as necessary as that was, it did not and cannot provide the same force of a single issue, i.e. Black males.

I was interviewed for a segment of “Good Morning America” that aired Saturday morning. I said what Farrakhan and other leaders would say at the rally – the measure of success is not how many people attended the rally or what was said. The test is what happens after people have gone home.

In a real sense, Minister Farrakhan, Rev. Willie Williams and other organizers have done their part: they brought us together to focus on important issues that continue to plague our community. The responsibility for what happens next shifts to us, individually and collectively.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is not coming back. We should not look for one national figure to lead us. We should realize that we never had one leader, even in King’s heyday. Dr. King was successful because he was able to build on the work of local leaders. Once an issue became hot, then Dr. King was invited in to raise the visibility. But make no mistake about it: the work of local leaders and everyday people provided the backbone for the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

One person can have an enormous impact on improving our community. There are so many ways to contribute – volunteering at a non-profit organization, starting a Scout troop, mentoring teens, helping out at school, visiting the elderly, helping reduce illiteracy, establishing computer labs at church and creating Saturday School to tutor students. The list of possibilities is endless.

Millions More Movement leaders plan to further address many of the issues raised Saturday in articles to be written for and published in Black newspapers. At the top of the agenda is how African-Americans can flex their economic clout. According to the University of Georgia Selig Center for Economic Growth, annual Black buying power will grow from $318 billion in 1990 to $921 billion in 2008.

Fortunately, Saturday’s rally was not the only event planned. In March, there will be a National Black Peoples Unity Convention in Gary, Ind. March 9-12 that will address economic and political issues facing Black America. Some of the Millions More organizers – such as University of Maryland Political Science Professor Ron Walters – are also involved in putting on the Gary convention. Perhaps between the two national events, a comprehensive Black Agenda will emerge. In the meantime, there is plenty that can be done.

If we take nothing else way from the Millions More Movement, we should know that we have a responsibility to look beyond ourselves. When we do, our entire community benefits.