A master teaches, students listen

By Starla Muhammad -Staff Writer- | Last updated: Jan 31, 2012 - 4:25:19 PM

(CW L-R) The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan; Minister Farrakhan received a plaque from the student government of CSU; (L-R) CSU president Dr. Wayne Watson and Father Michael Pfleger of the Faith Community at Saint Sabina.

CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - Students from several Chicago area colleges and universities as well as young people from all walks of life gathered to see and hear from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, a man many said they had only read or heard about in the media or caught glimpses of on YouTube.

It was clear Min. Farrakhan’s reach among future Black leaders is vast and his message is reaching them in diverse ways.

Over 1,000 people filled the intimate setting of the Jacoby D. Dickens Athletic Center at Chicago State University (CSU) Jan. 25 to witness a poignant yet direct message from a divinely guided servant of God.

For young adults navigating their way through an often overwhelming and critical juncture in life, it was a surreal yet inspiring experience to absorb the wisdom the Muslim leader delivered with the well-honed precision of a skilled and tenured professor.

Students and faculty listened closely to the message by Minister Louis Farrakhan at Chicago State University on January 25.

Tabitha Parker, a junior sociology major at CSU, had never heard Min. Farrakhan speak and wanted to hear him for herself. Ms. Parker told The Final Call hearing the Minister speak on the importance of agriculture and economics struck her deeply. “Number one, we do need to create our own businesses, we need to make our own food but even worse, to think there are things that we need that is offered to us, we’re not as Black people taking that and the White man, they got it. They sure play the game right,” said Ms. Parker. The Chicago native added the message brought by Min. Farrakhan is not just important for Black college students but for everyone.

“He (Min. Farrakhan) broke it down real well. He had three individual parts that I felt were particularly of interest but the way he broke down the economics and tied it all into the Black community, it was phenomenal,” said Joshua Hurst, 24. Mr. Hurst said he had been “checking out” Min. Farrakhan on YouTube for a while so when he saw the announcement on finalcall.com that he would be at Chicago State, he knew it was an opportunity he did not want to miss.

When asked if the message was one that more young Black adults need to hear, Mr. Hurst said it depends on where they are in their development. “Some people ain’t ready for talk like this; you know what I’m saying? Me, where I’m at personally and psychologically, this is good for me but everybody can’t handle stuff like this. So yes, it’s definitely in dire need in our community but you can’t give a person meat when they need milk,” he added with a smile.

Cassiopeia Sledge said she had also viewed lectures by Min. Farrakhan on YouTube and after reading about him wanted to see him live and in person and found it “inspirational.”

An advocate for Black businesses, Ms. Sledge was particularly drawn by the message of economic empowerment. “It’s hard to get people to move into a consciousness when they can’t feed themselves. So if we can start putting the money back into our own pockets and, that’s going to definitely happen with our own businesses, then that’s what resonated. He definitely talked about that,” said Ms. Sledge.

Some students had to overcome their own preconceived ideas about who and what Min. Farrakhan represents and were pleasantly surprised.

“I’ve never really heard him speak live but I’ve heard recordings. And to me some of his politics were not my cup of tea but hearing him speak tonight has created a broader view to me. Most of my friends did not come out because of his politics which if they would have heard him, I think they would have been just as pleased as I am,” said Charity Parker, a freshman at Olive-Harvey College. “I’m definitely going to come back and hear him anytime he’s around. He’s spitting a positive message and it’s something that people need to hear and I really feel as a Black woman it really shows on my part to support the Minister,” added Ms. Parker.

Tony Lindsey told The Final Call he is not a student but came to hear Min. Farrakhan for the first time because he is the type of person that always seeks knowledge. He agreed with the message that Black people must begin to educate their own children.

“I think one thing that really caught my attention is the urgency that Black folks need to take to understand the plight that we’re currently in and that is if we don’t wake up and smell the coffee, we’re going to be extinct from this earth and I think that if we don’t be careful, it can happen,” he added.

Michael Hermon said he has always been impressed by how Min. Farrakhan speaks and wanted to see him live. “What stood out to me the most was the main topic of the education of Black people in America, how to be productive. But really what stood out to me was the agriculture point. Being able to put your own seed down to grow your own food,” said Mr. Hermon.

Robert Roberts, a student at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, Ill., said reading articles by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad sparked his interest to come hear Min. Farrakhan speak. “I wanted to come out and see exactly what it was so I can pull from it and take it back to my organizations at my school,” said the sophomore with a double major in environmental public relations and environmental engineering. Mr. Roberts is a member of his school’s Student Government Association as well as a group called the African American Male Initiative.

Mr. Roberts said he took lots of notes when Min. Farrakhan spoke on culture and economics.

Glenn Coley, a senior history major at CSU, said when he told his brother the Minister would be speaking on campus his brother responded, “You better go and hear him.”

“He told me, he is a very well-rounded brother; you need to hear him and I just took the opportunity to come out. I actually missed a class but I definitely took the opportunity to come out and hear him,” said Mr. Coley who added he was struck by the Minister’s honesty. “He’s very passionate and I think regardless of what people have to say about him, he speaks to the people and I hope he spoke to us young Black men if anything,” he added.

While new generations of young people are becoming familiar with Min. Farrakhan through modern technology and social media outlets, others were inspired to come by old-fashioned word of mouth.

Carolyn Campbell, a senior majoring in criminal justice at CSU, had never heard Min. Farrakhan before but said her father talked about him all the time while she was growing up. One of her college professors encouraged her to come hear the world leader since she is working on a project on the Nation of Islam for one of her classes.

Craig Alexander is a sociology major at Prairie State and knows of Min. Farrakhan through his uncle. “One of the things that touched me most is his respect of Black women and just the respect that you should show them … it’s definitely something that I’ll take back,” Mr. Alexander told The Final Call. I think this is something that no youth, Black youth at least, should miss out (on) ever,” he added.

Autumn Smith said when the Minister spoke on the Black woman, it really touched her. “I’m 29-years-old so in my generation it’s just a lot of disrespect with the music, with the media. Black women are just being objectified left and right and mainly by our own Black men,” said Ms. Smith, attending CSU for her second bachelor’s degree, this time for biology. “That’s something that really resonated with me,” she added.

“What really stood out to me is his (Min. Farrakhan’s) definition of education and how I viewed it and how it wasn’t so much degrees and sitting in a class all the time and just receiving what people tell you, but actually searching for education and finding out what the truth is and taking self-responsibility not only for yourself but for your community and using that education to support your community and yourself,” said Charles Clark, a senior majoring in psychology at CSU.

Roxanne Whitehead of Chicago agreed, saying she came out to support not only Min. Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam but the young college students in attendance. “Just to hear someone articulate how important it is for us to be educated but to know the real meaning of education. What we need to know to survive,” said Ms. Whitehead.

Ivan Lee II is a junior at the University of Illinois-Chicago where he majors in chemical engineering. He had heard Min. Farrakhan teach before and always wants to “come out and hear the truth.”

“He lets me know that me and him are thinking along the same lines and I feel good about that. I was kind of surprised that he brought up the agriculture and mother earth as a whole because I think that’s definitely where we need to be thinking because we don’t clothe ourselves; we don’t supply ourselves with anything,” said Mr. Lee, a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Denise Patrick works at the aquaponics facility at CSU where Min. Farrakhan toured prior to speaking. The facility opened in 2010 in the department of biological sciences where students learn hands-on how to grow their own food. Ms. Patrick took the Minister’s message to heart. “If the captor is the educator, then it’s a problem. It’s a problem and our people are perishing. We have to reach the babies and lift them up. We have to teach the babies,” said Ms. Patrick.

Marcus Calloway is a double major in finance and economics at CSU and said part of the reason youth are drawn to Min. Farrakhan is because he is able to relate to them. “When he talks, it’s just powerful; I just feel it. I really can’t explain it; I just feel it,” said Mr. Calloway.

“Me honestly, I’m not really the type of person that will listen to long speeches but I can just listen to him for hours,” said Mr. Calloway.

Nyssa Bolden was the mistress of ceremonies and introduced Min. Farrakhan to the audience. She said young people are hungry for the information the Minister has to offer. “He said it, that the elders don’t treat them (youth) with respect because we may not have the money. We don’t have the time to invest but at the same time we need that food and they’re craving that food but there’s no one to give it,” said Ms. Bolden.

“So when he’s (Min. Farrakhan) here, they’re trying to eat all this food. I think they’re hungry and they need to be fed so that’s why they’re here,” said Ms. Bolden.

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