Sharing brotherhood: One generation to another

By FinalCall.com News | Last updated: Aug 11, 2014 - 4:28:57 PM

Elite 50 and the God Squad

CHICAGO - It will be an evening of “sharing the spirit of brotherhood” on Aug. 14 when the F.O.I. of the Elite 50-Plus squad treat the F.O.I. of the God Squad to dinner and an evening of entertainment at the Salaam Restaurant. It will be an evening of the youth learning from the elders and the elders learning from the youth.

“We’re calling it a ‘unity evening’ and developing better one-on-one relationships between the young and the not so young,” said Lt. Khalil Muhammad, appointed in the late 1990s by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as leader of the squad he personally named. “We’re not setting any expectations of what will come of the meeting, but we know it will result in great things.”

Bro. Khalil joined the Nation in 1965 in Philadelphia, quickly rising to lieutenant there and later as a captain in North Carolina. He came to Chicago in 1982 and quickly set himself apart as a leader of men, selling 2,000 Final Call newspapers weekly, dozens of cases of bean pies and other Nation products.

The idea for the event came during the monthly Elite 50-Plus meeting after mosque in a discussion about saving the youth of Chicago and also planning the group’s monthly dinner at the Salaam.

“It dawned on me that we have youth right here in the mosque that we should reach out to,” said Bro. Laurence Inkatha, who will bless the audience with quality renditions of classic R&B songs in his smooth baritone voice. “I said let’s invite them to dinner.”

A brother was immediately dispatched to the mosque who returned with three members of the God Squad, which consists of younger members of the F.O.I. The offer was gladly accepted.

“It was beautiful,” said Lt. Khalifah Farrakhan, of the God Squad. “The brothers of the Elite 50 let us know they were very proud of us. We left feeling completely happy and our spirits lifted. It was a bridge-building moment.”

The God Squad, also personally named by Min. Farrakhan, is a platoon that consists of young men ages 16 to 30.

The 6 p.m.–9 p.m. event will consist of fine dining, entertainment by Bro. Laurence and rap artist Master D.I. The Propagandist, testimonies about the history of the Nation and reflections on being a youth in the Nation. Meals for God Squad members will be paid by Elite 50-Plus members who will serve as mentors.

“When I was young coming up in the Nation, I had a whole lot of needs,” said Bro. Barney Muhammad, Elite 50 secretary. “Any young brother can use a big brother’s help. We want to be big brothers and big uncles to the God Squad.”

“We just want to soak in the experience,” added Bro. Khalifah. “The Elite 50’s work has established a beautiful foundation for my generation to step on their shoulders and we can build for the next generation of our nation,” he said.

F.O.I. are invited to attend. Please RSVP by calling (773) 908-1825. Dinner costs $12 plus tax.

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