The Nation of Islam and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan will convene its Holy Day of Atonement in commemoration of the 18th Anniversary of the Million Man March Oct. 18-20 in Tuskegee, AL.
The Mayor of Tuskegee, Johnny Ford, is opening the city’s doors for the weekend event, calling it an opportunity to reconnect the March’s message of empowerment and responsibility to the continuing freedom struggle.
“We enthusiastically join with you in welcoming the world, men and women of courage from everywhere, to participate in this historic occasion, which we view as a continuation of our struggle as a people for freedom and justice, here in Tuskegee, the State of Alabama, the nation and the world,” Ford wrote in a letter to Min. Farrakhan.
The Nation of Islam (NOI) chose Tuskegee as its place for the commemoration to mirror the self-help ideology of Dr. Booker T. Washington, the famed leader of Tuskegee Institute and founder of the National Negro Business League.
In one of his lectures, Min. Farrakhan speaks about Washington and is reasons for brining the Million Man March anniversary commemoration to Tuskegee:
In his last address on August 18, 1915, three months before he passed from this earth . . . he [Washington] states:
“The history of civilization throughout the world shows that without economic and commercial success, there can be no lasting or commanding success in other fields of endeavor. This League then has for one of its objects not the tearing down or weakening of other organizations but rather to give them strength and stability.” He went on to say in that same message, “A landless race is like a ship without a rudder” . . .
Booker T. Washington had his young students in architecture layout the plans for Tuskegee University. They took the clay land and made bricks and built the buildings. They were not looking for somebody else to do it for them. They were learning how to make themselves useful to self as well as others. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad loved Booker T. Washington . . .
“The Minister is very excited about going to Tuskegee and we are very grateful to the Mayor of Tuskegee Johnny Ford, who has opened up the city to welcome the Nation of Islam,” said Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, Min. Farrakhan’s assistant at NOI’s international headquarters at Mosque Maryam in Chicago.
Two Conferences Saturday
As part of the commemoration events, the NOI, student leaders and organizations from across the country will convene a national conference of students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The conference, themed “Building A New World,” takes place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 at the Booker T. Washington High School, 3803 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy, Tuskegee, AL 36083. The event organizers “are calling on all students who desire to construct a new world, solve the problems of our time and secure a future for yet unborn generations.”
The opening session titled “U.O.E.N.O.” will deal with the proper education for Black students who desire to become architects of a New World. Other workshops will address topics including the importance of agriculture and land acquisition, helpful ways to limit or eliminate student loan debt, and building an effective student-based movement.
There are 14 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) located in Alabama alone. Students from HBCUs in nearby Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee are also expected to attend, as well as student leaders from as far away as North Carolina and Washington D.C.
“It is critical that our students understand and know the value of the message of Min. Farrakhan, particularly as it relates to the Economic Blueprint of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and what we must do as a people regarding the acquisition of land,” said Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad. “It is in the acquisition of land where our real wealth is and where our future lies.”
Additionally, Min. Farrakhan is incorporating a conference of Black farmers in conjunction with the anniversary commemoration. “The Future of Farming & Food In America” is sponsored by Independent Black Farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Nation of Islam. This conference also takes place at Booker T. Washington High School from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The conference will discuss the plight of Black farmers across the country. Part of the discussion will include educating students about America’s food and farming system. With the average age of Black farmers being over age 60, black agriculturalists address the need for producing the next generation of farmers, agricultural scientists, manufacturers and store and restaurant owners so that African Americans can be part of that economic system.
Million Man March History
The Million Man March took place Oct. 16, 1995, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Min. Farrakhan called on African American leaders to unite to help to address the economic and social ills plaguing the African American community themselves, while also win political support for these issues through a show in numbers.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., former executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) helped direct the March. Among other prominent African Americans who supported the March and spoke at its events were Jesse Jackson, Rosa Parks (a native of Tuskegee), Cornel West, Maya Angelou and Kurt Schmoke, then the mayor of Baltimore, Md.
“Let our choices be for life, for protecting our women, our children, keeping our brothers free of drugs, free of crime,” Schmoke told the crowd assembled on the Mall 18 years ago. The original organizers sought to bring about a spiritual renewal that would instill a sense of personal responsibility in African American men to improve conditions for themselves, their families and communities.
In an address to the millions gathered in the mall and those watching on television, Min. Farrakhan laid out an eight-step process for Black men to atone for their lack of responsibility. He urged them to take responsibility for their own actions and to help develop action plans that would improve their communities. It was reported that in response to the March, some 1.7 million African American men registered to vote.
Tuskegee Mayor Ford, by inviting Min. Farrakhan and the nation to his city, said he wants to resurrect those themes in the African American community. He wants black leaders and people of goodwill to renew their commitment to securing and protecting voting rights and healthcare rights, both of which have recently come under attack.
A U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year weakened the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act, a signature law that came directly out of the African American civil rights struggle 50 years ago. And now, the government has shut down over the absolute instance by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in Congress that the Affordable Care Act be defunded, even though it is now the law of the land.
Commemorative Events, Day of Atonement
Additional events planned for the weekend include family day at Abbott Park and the Arts & Culture Kickback festival on Saturday.
Ford, as a founding co-chair of the National Policy Alliance, and organizer with Min. Farrakhan, is hosting a summit for national and state leaders to address these and other issues facing blacks and other Americans. It includes a sun-rise march in memory of Sammy Younge, who was killed in 1966 for trying to use a whites-only restroom and, later, a breakfast for summit participants.
The highlight of the weekend takes place on Sunday, Oct. 20, when the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan will deliver his keynote address at the famed Tuskegee Square at 2 p.m. His lecture includes elements from NOI founder Elijah Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint to End Poverty and Want, ideas founded on the principles of Booker T. Washington and the history of Tuskegee.
For more detailed information, see the Nation of Islam’s website at http://www.noi.org/holy-day-of-atonement/
