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Participants in the April 30 parade included several school marching bands, majorettes and the ROTC; rolling music by WDIA radio personality Stormy Taylor, the Corvette Club of Memphis, and other organizations and individuals.
Event organizer, Ms. Parsons of the Cathedral of Faith, expressed her excitement on the Jr. MGT’s participation. “We don’t usually have drill teams that participate,” she shared with the MGT responsible for the drill team’s development, Rose Muhammad.
“So many people present expressed how impressed they were by the girls’ dress, mannerisms and discipline. Several older women asked what school were we, and I explained to them that we were not a school of girls, that we were from Muhammad Mosque No. 55 and this is our drill,” explained Mrs. Muhammad regarding reactions to the drill team.
“We didn’t know it was going to be three miles, but from the youngest, age six to the more experienced, they kept it together and followed the command of their Drill Instructor, (D.I.), Aneesah Muhammad,” she added.
The parade route ended at the Cathedral of Faith where the crowd was treated to a band and majorette face-off, along with free haircuts by Muhammad Mosque No. 55 members, Rahman and Rahim Muhammad; live music, food and activities. The community was provided with information on the adoption process and the many support services available.
Fifteen-year-old drill Jr. MGT instructor, Aneesah Muhammad, was both nervous and excited about participating in the parade. “I had never heard of a Nation of Islam drill team participating in a parade in Memphis before and so I wanted to set the bar high. I believe we performed to the best of our ability,” she said.
“A lot of people approached us and told us how beautiful we looked in our uniforms and how in-line we were. It showed that you don’t have to show your body.”