Training young Black males into manhood, godhood

By Tariqah Shakir-Muhammad -Final Call Newspaper- | Last updated: Aug 6, 2019 - 12:21:49 PM

Young boys and men listen during conference.

CHICAGO— Another successful Boys to Men “Saving Our Boys” conference hosted by Shahid “The Math Doctor” Muhammad was held at Mosque Maryam, national headquarters of the Nation of Islam. The fourth annual conference for boys ages 13-18 touched on essential topics such as spiritual power, self-respect, protecting women, career and vocational information and much more to prepare young Black males for manhood and being a positive force in their communities.

Shahid Muhammad is a long-time educator, community activist and student minister in the Nation of Islam. “The Boys to Men Conference is an idea that I got actually from the mighty MGT (Muslim Girls Training, the women of the Nation of Islam) when they did a couple of years ago, their ‘Saving Our Girls’ (event),” he explained.

“I said, ‘well, if we do that for the girls we got to do something for the boys,’ so Allah (God) inspired me to go ahead and do it a couple of weeks after the sisters’ program,” Shahid Muhammad told The Final Call.

(L-R) Student Min. Ishmael Muhammad, Bro. Reginald Muhammad, Youth speaker, Justice Born

(L) “Math Doctor” Shahid Muhammad (R) Young boys enjoy conference.

Workshops, a drill exhibition and self-defense seminar was a part of the Boys to Men Conference.

“The Boys to Men plan comes out of the dire need to do something to save our boys. Satan has launched an all-out assault on our young men; changing them into women, making them girls, just totally destroying them. I took it upon myself to try and see what we could do with the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Farrakhan to change that around, to give our boys what they need to become men and ultimately to become god.”

The June 22 conference featured a motivational-speaking session featuring Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, national assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad spoke to the young men on the value of Black life. Other presenters included: Student Minister Abdul Muhammad who discussed America’s mis-education system and Brother Reginald Muhammad, aka “YourGodBrotha,” who did a spoken-word performance.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for people who have the knowledge to be able to speak on what Black men need to do in this community to make it better because there’s a lot of crime, there’s a lot of injustice, there’s a lot of ignorance that causes us to be at the bottom of the spectrum when it comes to looking at the broader American community,” said Justice Born, 15, a student at Muhammad University.

“The Boys to Men conference just provides knowledge and wisdom to Black men that need it and need guidance to make their community better,” he added.

Participants also enjoyed a free lunch, workshops, a drill exhibition and a self-defense seminar.

Zion Canno, 11, said the conference gave him great life principles to abide by. “I think that it helps me out and provides me to do better things when I become a man. I also think we should follow the Teachings,” he stated. “I liked when he (Bro. Shahid) said we should not smoke, and that we should always just stay proper and live the Teachings.”

The next step for the Boys to Men “Saving Our Boys” program is to bring it to more cities said Student Min. Shahid. “I got word that the Minister said it would be good if we took it on the road so then we went into different cities. We’ve been to St. Louis, Cincinnati, Delaware and Boston.”

For more information and to request a Boys to Men “Saving Our Boys” conference in your city, contact Shahid “The Math Doctor” Muhammad at [email protected].

The Final Call