The Final Call

Holy Day of Atonement comes to Tampa!

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CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - On Oct. 16 the Nation of Islam will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the historic Million Man March.

The commemoration, which also serves as the Holy Day of Atonement, will be held this year in Tampa, Fla.

The keynote address is scheduled to be delivered Oct. 17 by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan at the Tampa Convention Center located in the heart of the downtown area.

“We want to thank the laborers in the Seventh Region beginning with Minister Rasul Muhammad, his staff and of course the laborers in Tampa and the Clearwater, Fla., area and the Believers there who are working very hard,” said Minister Ishmael Muhammad, national assistant to Minister Farrakhan. “The choice of Tampa by Minister Farrakhan was primarily because of the progressive study group there and the Minister wanted to honor the laborers and Believers there by hosting the 15th anniversary of the Million Man March in that city.”

Thousands are expected from all across the United States and abroad to participate in workshops, seminars and vendors will have the opportunity to display their products and services to an enthusiastic crowd in a warm and friendly environment. Many of the convention center's meeting rooms provide picturesque views of the waterfront.

Ademah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam's special events coordinator, said the special events committee is enthusiastically working around the clock to make this year's commemoration a success.

“The spirit is high in Tampa. People are talking about the event and the Tampa community has never seen Minister Farrakhan live in person, so they are really hyped about it and looking forward to it,” said Ademah Muhammad. “The spirit throughout the Tampa Bay area is also really sky high and they are working very, very hard.”

The program for the members of the Nation of Islam promises to be enlightening and informative.

Rasul Muhammad, the Seventh Region representative of Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam has nightly conference calls in Florida to ensure that all of the details are worked out.

Ademah Muhammad said hotels in the area are filling up, and the prices can't be beat. With Tampa being a resort town, many Believers are choosing to get in early and make the commemoration a family vacation.

A majority of the hotels have complementary shuttles from the Tampa Airport and many hotels are within three miles of the airport.

(For up-to-date information regarding the schedule of events, registration and to purchase tickets to the main event, visit www.noi.org.)