Ambassador Andrew Young, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and his wife, Mother Khadijah Farrakhan

That’s the real story of the Farrakhan family and the motivation behind daughter Maria starting the Louis Farrakhan Prostate Cancer Foundation, which held it’s second annual “Walk for Life & Education Walk-A-Thon” for awareness and outreach Oct. 13.

“Early detection will save men’s lives,” Maria Farrakhan told The Final Call. “This Walk-A-Thon means a lot to me. We are enabling others to prevent the pain we witnessed as a family watching our father come to death’s door three times. Any way we can help keep this disease from affecting another family, we are ready to serve.”

On the brisk Saturday morning, temperatures dropped for the first weekend of the fall season. The bright Atlanta sun was there, but a cool breeze had walkers feeling the chill. Those present warmed up quickly as they stretched to the African drumbeats that filled the air.

Hundreds of men were tested for prostate cancer in the mobile testing unit.Photos: Kenneth Muhammad/

Ambassador Young recounted his experience with prostate cancer. He said that seven years ago, he began waking up 3-4 times a night having to urinate. Amb. Young had a friend who had died of prostate cancer and at the insistence of his wife, he went to get a checkup.

“Once I started having regular checkups, I realized that I did have an enlarged prostate and in the process of treating it, we realized that there were some slight malignancy, which means the beginning of prostate cancer,” said Amb. Young. “I immediately had my prostate removed. You can live without a prostate and do anything you need to do to keep life going, but you can’t live with cancer growing in you.”

To prevent prostate problems later in life, Amb. Young advised Black men to get regular exercise and to stop eating so many fatty and sugary foods. He encouraged Black men to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water.

“A lot of the things that end up poisoning us, can be flushed out of our system if we drink enough water and go to the bathroom regularly,” said Amb. Young. “It really is simple. You start getting diseased when your body starts clogging up. We can stay healthy and I’m very proud of Minister Farrakhan taking the lead in this.”

The Honorable Louis Farrakhan said early detection is the key to survival, and though some Black men may find the digital rectal examination (DRE) uncomfortable, he is encouraging them to take the test, as well as the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. These are the two primary tests used to determine prostate cancer risk.

“We want to encourage them to take the exams, because if we can get it and catch the disease in its beginning (stages), we have a better chance of overcoming. We want men in general, but Black men in particular to live and our women also are suffering from different types of cancers. We just have to test and catch it early so we can beat it,” said Minister Farrakhan as he walked, smiled and waved to the crowd. “Then, we have to watch the way we eat, because the food is so contaminated with dyes and carcinogens that ultimately lead to cancer. This is forcing us to think about owning the necessary farmland that would allow us to give our people their daily bread, and to start feeding our people better food than what they are being fed today,” added Minister Farrakhan.

Nearly 2,500 participated in the two-mile walk that began at the Clark Atlanta University stadium and ended at the Herndon Stadium on the campus of Morris Brown. A police escort accompanied the walk-a-thon participants through the historic Vine City neighborhood in Atlanta.

Bruce Corbett, a resident of the community that neighbors the Atlanta University Complex (AUC) came out to witness the Walk-A-Thon. “I heard Minister Farrakhan was going to be walking in this community and I wanted to see it. This is fine with me. We need this information,” he told The Final Call.

Many like Mr. Corbett came out of their homes and businesses to show their support for the walkers and for some to catch a glimpse of Minister Farrakhan, Amb. Young and the others who walked.

Mrs. Joanna Perkins was shopping when she heard the band. “I heard the drums and wanted to see what was going on. I was shocked to see Minister Farrakhan in this neighborhood walking for prostate cancer. I started waving to the walkers.”

“We need more information on prostate cancer. Too many men are dying because they don’t have health insurance and can’t get help.”