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Student Minister Troy Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No. 1 in Detroit was nominated and presented with a Men of Excellence award for 2014. He is also the state of Michigan representative for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. He has worked in the Prison Ministry supplying suits to returning citizens through a company he helped establish called Muhammad’s Closet. He has supplied more than 200 jobs to formerly incarcerated men while equipping them with life skills. He is a hard working F.O.I. who has received many rewards and honors such as The Spirit of Detroit Award and was recognized by the Wayne County and the Governor’s Office. The Men of Excellence award was special because honorees were chosen by the approximate 45,000 Michigan Chronicle readers. The Michigan Chronicle is the oldest Black newspaper in the state.
During the award ceremony, a film clip was played of Mr. Muhammad saying, “The teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad teach us to love ourselves, and more importantly, it teaches us as the scriptures of the Bible teach us that man and woman were made in the image and likeness of God, and the teachings that have been given to us today and led today by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan teach us how to bring that God out.”
Hiram Jackson, CEO of Real Times Media, interim publisher of the 76-year-old Chronicle and creator of the Men of Excellence award said, “These distinguished gentleman are men of stature who not only have professional success to their credit but who are beacons for the African-American Community throughout the region.”
“As I watched the award presentation, I made note that the honorees were exemplary Black men representing: health and human services, agriculture, education, defense, art and culture, trade and commerce, justice, information and science and technology, who have positioned themselves to observe and learn the operations of those currently in leadership,” said Student Protocol Director Maria Muhammad.
The newspaper editors reviewed hundreds of nominees to select just the top 50 men to be recognized. “It’s humbling to receive an award called ‘Men of Excellence.’ That’s humbling by being associated or connected to the excellent God who created us all. That’s the only way any man or woman can demonstrate anything under the title of excellence by being connected to the most excellent God,” said Troy Muhammad.
The award reception took place at the MGM Grand Detroit Ballroom of which Mr. Muhammad’s beautiful wife of 15 years, four children and a host of Believers attended to congratulate him and represent Muhammad’s refinement in love and unity.
“There is only one minister today which is the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the only way we can be considered for anything is through representing him,” said Student Minister Troy Muhammad.
“This award gives people hope to see people working on their behalf. It’s the same principle as the Million Man March to lift seemingly a clean glass as oppose to the opposite means all is not lost,” he said.
Though local news media representatives were honored at the event, neither the event nor their event media professionals who received an award received any news coverage on the local stations. Some questioned whether this exposed an agenda to not support or show positive images of Black men in Detroit.