Perspectives

Pushing the Economic Blueprint from the Tweets to the Streets

By Jesse Muhammad -Final Call Social Media- | Last updated: Dec 4, 2013 - 4:38:29 PM

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(FinalCall.com) - A Twitter follower of our Commander-in-Tweet, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, tweeted this question during one of many #AskFarrakhan chats: When you’re focused on achieving something, do you just focus on reaching that mark or you aim to go beyond mark?

Minister Farrakhan responded via Twitter: Once we achieve the goal, we don’t sit around and worship the achievement. For once the goal is reached, the joy of the achievement is dying. So one goal should lead you to the next, to the next, to the next, to the next until you reach the final goal, which is a perfect reflection of God.

Like those who were in attendance, I was blown away by the energy of the historic Farrakhan Twitter Army Tweet-up hosted in October in Tuskegee. From the presence of Mother Khadijah Farrakhan and the Minister’s family, to meeting many fellow digital soldiers offline for the first time. It was an unforgettable moment.

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The effort of so many people made that event possible, the honorees were all smiles and that night was a testament to how Minister Farrakhan has led the Nation of Islam and supporters from around the globe in creating a social media revolution by trending truth every week.

It’s an effort that was applauded, however, we did not have time to wallow in the glory of or rest on what we did yesterday.

Along with continuing to push “The Time and What Must Be Done” weekly series, we have been called upon to campaign for Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint.

A campaign is defined as a “series of military operations intended to achieve a particular objective, confined to a particular area, or involving a specified type of fighting.”

It also means “to work in an organized and active way toward a particular goal, typically a political or social one.”

In my experience of working political campaigns in Texas, from city to the presidential level, messaging is very important. I’ve sat in meetings alongside others as campaign managers grilled us on countless questions: How well do you know the candidate and his stance on the major issues? Are you clear on what the platform and ultimate objective is so you can be on the same page with everyone else? Can you be clear and concise when questioned about how the platform directly impacts or benefits potential voters or supporters? How would you respond to a particular attack? Can you get youth on board? The list goes on.

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We have been individually asked to get at least 100 persons to cast their vote for, donate to and get behind the Economic Blueprint by February 2014. This is a long-term campaign that demands a long-term commitment from the streets to the tweets.

Several members of the Twitter Army have already challenged one another in the spirit of righteous competition to see who can reach their 100 first and then exceed it. Are you ready to accept the challenge and raise the bar?

Here are 4.5 tips to build your momentum as an active participant in this campaign.

1) Show Your Support: Who campaigns for and invites others to back a candidate or platform that they won’t even vote for themselves? (Smile.) Be sure you have already made your personal donation and signed up for the Economic Blueprint newsletter @ http://www.economicblueprint.org/ (click the “Our National Newsletter” tab on the home page).

2) Know The Talking Points: Digest the campaign literature daily to ensure that it becomes first nature, not just second nature. There are a plethora of articles posted at the bottom of the economic blueprint website. Go to www.finalcall.com to review the videos and writings by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan and Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad related to the campaign. Study the present trends, news reports and happenings locally and nationally that bears witness to why the Economic Blueprint is necessary and can be accomplished. Repetition strengthens performance.

3) Re-activate Organized Guerilla Marketing: Before there was an Occupy Wall Street, the Nation of Islam was known for occupying any and all community events. The point is get from behind the PC screen and get out in the community. Get flyers printed, seek out events to vend or even speak at, get a laptop to sign people up on the spot, or spark a discussion in the barber shop or salon. You may even want to host an Economic Blueprint seminar and invite the community to attend.

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4) Launch the Digital Airstrike: Start with those you know,  e-mail official flyers and website links. Leverage your present network. Don’t let a day go by without inviting your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram followers to get behind this campaign. Actively dialogue on topics such as joblessness, land ownership and farming.

4.5) Engage in Righteous Competition: Why not challenge a fellow brother or sister to see who will get to 100 supporters first? Partner with someone to text, e-mail, or tweet daily to ask, “How many did you get signed up today?”

We have millions of undecided voters who we want to get behind Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint. Let’s move out in an organized and enthusiastic manner.

See you on the campaign trail!

(Jesse Muhammad is an award-winning writer and blogger based in Houston. You can follow him on Twitter @BrotherJesse and send your social media questions to him via email at [email protected].)