The Final Call

Minister Farrakhan urges students to work to advance people and reject culture of petty individualism

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Minister Farrakhan speaks to audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan March 2 at Fountain Street Church. Photo: Hassan Muhammad

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (FinalCall.com) - Less than a week after delivering an historic Saviours’ Day 2013 keynote address, a watershed moment in the history of the Black nation, and after delivering a message in Chicago the night before, Minister Louis Farrakhan continued a demanding schedule by speaking to hundreds here at Fountain Street Church.

“The Honorable Elijah Muhammad has taught us that your vision comes from the idea that’s at the root of your thinking,” said Minster Farrakhan. “This is our time. You are indeed unique. There never was one like you before, and there will never be one like you again. The infinite wisdom of God is that he creates no two snowflakes alike, no two raindrops alike, no two blades of grass alike, no two human beings alike. Each of us is stamped with the uniqueness of the creator himself.”

The madness and chaos that exists in society is not the fault of the young people in the audience, Minister Farrakhan said. His March 2 message at Fountain Street Church was sponsored by the Black Student Union at Grand Rapids Community College with the aid of the Nation of Islam Study Groups in Grand Rapids, Benton Harbor, Mich., and Muhammad Mosque No.1 in Detroit.

“Look at the condition of the world that we inherited,” said the Minister. “We are like God in a small sense that we can—with wisdom—change any reality that confronts us. The human being is the supreme creation of God. We are the supreme beings of our planet, and everything that he created, he created it for the human being. Then he gives us the potential to master what he created.”

Dealing with a range of topics during his 90-minute talk, the Minister challenged those in attendance to discover their purpose and analyze whose vision they are pursuing. Many are pursuing visions set forth by this society, which has resulted in a world filled with trouble.

“Everything that God created has a purpose,” said the Minister. “What is the purpose for your life?”

 It is not to party, or get drunk, or to amass material wealth, the rugged individualism that is set forth as the ideal in American society is not optimal. It is even written in the Bible that Jesus said, “I can of myself do nothing,” he noted.

“A lot of us think a lot about partying and too little about what life is all about, so we waste time, time is life and life is time and you and I do not know how much time we have,” he said. “If Jesus the master could not by himself, of himself, do anything, what makes you think as an individual, that you can?”

Teachers are studying outdated information set forth by White supremacist theoreticians and are utilizing using outmoded teaching strategies. It’s no wonder America’s schools are failing to educate those who attend them, the Minister said. “There’s something wrong with the education, there’s nothing wrong with the children,” he said.

A return to Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan behind Detroit, which is 168 miles to the East. It is 64 percent White, nearly 21 percent Black, and 16 percent Hispanic. A diverse crowd attended the afternoon lecture at Fountain Street Church.

Mary X, vice-president of GRCC Black Student Union, in her introduction of Minister Farrakhan noted that he had spoken in the same church a year ago, March 1, 2012. She asked those in the audience who heard him last year to reflect on what actions they have taken since he last spoke.

“What have you done with the youth, for the youth, for your community since he was here one year ago? What have you done, what have you completed?” she asked.

Prior to delivering his scheduled message, the Minister spoke to two dozen members of the Alpha Beta Omega leadership fraternity at Grand Rapids Community College for about a half an hour, encouraging them to strive for unity and cooperate with other fraternities and groups on campus working for good. He answered a few questions prior to taking a picture with the fraternity members. In addition to answering questions, he encouraged the young men to provide services to those living in underserved communities who are less fortunate. Gifts should be used to advance the people, he said.

“We’re finite. We come to go, but it is the nation or the people, that live. So if we work only for ourselves and not for the future of the people out of whom we’ve come, then our work is considered vanity,” said the Minister. “God remembers those who work for the good of the whole and not for themselves.”

Joseph Dorsey, a member of Alpha Beta Omega, hopes to become an entrepreneur. He found the Minister’s words during his short meeting with the group as well as his main message “very inspirational.”

“I never really knew nothing about him,” said Mr. Dorsey. “But after today, I really felt his message. I was really touched and honored to meet him today.”

Courtney Means called the message “incredible” and found it remarkable that the Minister shared his struggles in a very honest and relatable manner. The 24-year-old was honored for the chance to meet a man of Min. Farrakhan’s stature.

“I knew him as a public figure but I really didn’t know him in depth or his background,” said Mr. Means. “His message and wisdom, how he speaks and what he’s been through, he knows what he’s talking about so he has total knowledge of what he’s talking about. He speaks about life. And I believe that anybody who has not gotten a chance to really learn about him or has not seen him before should take the time and find out about him because he’s a great man and a great inspiration to people. I think a lot of people can learn from him.”

Grand Rapids resident Patricia Cannon was all smiles following Minister Farrakhan’s message. She had never heard the Minister speak, although like many, she had heard much about him. Ms. Cannon found it difficult to describe how she felt after hearing a message so truthful. She could barely contain her joy.

“He truly liberates. He liberates your soul, your spirit, your mind, his message is just very liberating. And to speak the truth in a day when people don’t want to speak the truth, they want to be relevant. People are so busy trying to be relevant that they evade the truth. And to have someone speak the truth with the power that he speaks, with the beauty and the beautiful spirit that he has … I can’t really articulate because I’m kind of in a … I don’t know … it is just a beautiful thing,” said Ms. Cannon. “It’s beautiful, magical. It’s like … he just encapsulated me, engulfed me in the message. It resonated with my life so much particularly when he talked about mothers and how mothers should rear their children and how they’re rearing the future.”

Ms. Cannon did not know the Minister was going to be in town. But in the Grand Rapids Community College bookstore, she saw a flyer anouncing his speech the day before his arrival. She decided to come to the church. She felt very secure seeing the men of the Fruit of Islam upon arrival, and was favorably impacted by the Muslim women of the M.G.T & G.C.C who welcomed her.

“I’m very privileged and happy to be here today,” said Ms. Cannon.

Mary X felt great after coordinating the Minister’s message for the second time in a year, but vowed to continue to work hard in the community. She also plans to establish the Nation of Islam Student Association on the Grand Rapids Community College campus.

“We have to stay active in the community because if we don’t, our youth will die and we will die right with them because we’re not doing anything to prevent them from dying,” said Mary X. With the help of Allah (God), no one will stop us from representing the truth, she added.

“We know when truth is coming that somebody is always trying to hurl falsehood at it,” said Mary X. “And as we know, the righteous always prevail.”