MINISTER FARRAKHAN'S HOLY DAY OF ATONEMENT MESSAGE RESONATES WITH LISTENERS (4220 hits)
ATLANTA (FinalCall.com)—Thousands packed into the historic Fox Theater in Atlanta for a keynote address, filled with guidance, warning and direct marching orders from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan culminating the 21st anniversary celebration of the Holy Day of Atonement and the Million Man March.
A multi-generational, ethnically diverse and ecumenical crowd filled seats on three levels including the main auditorium, balcony and overflow room as thousands more enjoyed the program in Nation of Islam mosques and study groups nationally and internationally live via the internet. First time guests, visitors, Muslim and non-Muslim said they enjoyed the practical and profound message.
The message from Minister Farrakhan was more than just a spiritual encounter. It was also a history lesson; it was a warning about current trends and challenges facing the Black community like controversial vaccinations, the upcoming U.S. presidential election and a call for separation as taught by Nation of Islam patriarch, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
“The Minister makes it plain. His biblical insight into Pharaoh and his magicians really registered with me. We know it is a trick but we are still amazed when we see it,” said Joseph Muhammad who attended from Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Latonya Reinhardt who traveled from Chicago said this, “I always support the Nation of Islam so that is why I am here today. I am not a Muslim but I attribute a lot of my growth and development to the Nation and Min. Farrakhan who woke me up 20 years ago. In regards to his speech all I can say is wow wow! All of the honor given to him by the sovereign nations. And his call for independence and separation it was a big, big thing.”
The Minister’s speech had so many different highlights for so many people it was a testament to his thoughtfulness and keen insight into history, scripture and current events, making it relevant to modern times.
Benjamin Williams from Atlanta told The Final Call, “I am a part of the Atlanta vaccine CDC Justice or Else. The Minister’s message today was fantastic. The highlight for me was the direction to take serious control of our communities.”
Sandra Jones who came from Lithonia, Ga. seemed to agree. “I have never attended the Holy Day of Atonement event. I came to Atlanta and said I’m going to hear the Minister. I have heard him before and enjoy his message. I came alone. The highlight for me was the election comments and especially the ending when he displayed the N.O.I flag saying this is our flag,” said Ms. Jones. “I found this very touching, inspirational that as a race of people we have a flag besides the American flag. The whole theme of unity and separation, creating our own business, controlling our communities this resonated with me.”
The reactions on social media were equally noteworthy. When Min. Farrakhan took the stage to a thunderous, standing ovation and began his message, the excitement had him trending on Twitter in the number nine spot. By the time he finished a little more than three hours later he was still trending on Twitter, however he rose to the third spot.
Jesse Brewer @SwaggyJay90 wrote, “#Farrakhan Great words of wisdom today every Black man should have tuned in. Take control of your own communities. So Pure!!”
Jahnia Kamau @jahniakamau wrote, “That was absolutely beautiful! All praise is due to Allah God! #Farrakhan #HDOA16 #JusticeOrElse #EatToLive #whatamessage”
On Periscope thousands watched the live broadcast scoped by Student Minister Carlos Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No. 6 in Baltimore, Nation of Islam social media manager Jesse Muhammad and Nation of Islam Imam Sultan Rahman Muhammad. In addition to the live viewers, hundreds more watched the replays. Attendees posted pictures and quotes on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and livestreamed on Facebook Live.
frodeity46 @afrodiety46 commented, “I am going to tell everyone I know about the danger of the MMR Vaccinations! The Black Nation’s survival depends on it! #Farrakhan”
Marcella Piper-Terry, from Indiana is an organizer with the Vaccine Awareness Injury League and came to Atlanta to participate during Holy Day of Atonement weekend events which included a protest in front of CDC headquarters to call attention to the dangers of vaccines and vaccine injuries. The protest kicked off the weekend on Friday, Oct. 14 and drew participants from various parts of the country. Many held signs with pictures of family members’ friends and loved ones who suffered injuries caused by vaccines, participants charged. The protest was followed by a press conference by activists that charge the CDC withheld information from studies linking the MMR vaccine to increased autism rates in Black children. The weekend also included Muslim Friday Congressional Prayer service and a special Nation of Islam Youth Forum. Saturday included a Day of Service and Community Clean Up in an area of Atlanta known as “The Bluff,” where the men, women and children of the Nation of Islam distributed food and clothing to local residents. Later in the day, Muslims, friends, family and supporters gathered in Washington Park for an afternoon of fellowship followed by an Islamic fashion show featuring beautifully, modest clothing designed by Muslim designers. The CDC rally was a key part of the weekend and an issue that concerns Min. Farrakhan deeply.
“One of the things that resonated with me, one of the themes today was that Black people in America have been oppressed and abused by so many people so consistently and for so long. Being a White woman (what) we are feeling now is that current traumatization, that recurrent PTSD, that constant fear of what is going to happen to our children,” said Ms. Piper Terry.
The stress that many Whites have been dealing with in the vaccine awareness and vaccine injury movement over the past two years including increasing mandates and threats of mandates and threats of taking their children away and arresting them if their children aren’t vaccinated, can only be a fraction of what a mother of a Black child, particularly a Black male child, goes through for years and the pain of that, she explained. “This is a Holocaust on such a grand scale,” Ms. Terry concluded.
Minister Farrakhan’s explanation and articulation of the current political climate as the country approaches the November elections sparked various thoughts.
“I think Minister Farrakhan laid a very moral base for how we should conduct ourselves. In many ways he showed us the importance of the presidential race but more important to have higher moral standards from where we should be looking for leadership,” said Daud Muhammad.
“I think the way the Minister gave us insight he was able to give us a view of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton through the eyes of scripture. It was so profound. As well as demanding a separate state of our own while stressing what will qualify us is taking over our own communities. So powerful,” he added.
“The Minister showed us how our true governance has to start local and then we qualify ourselves for the greater independence. I thought that was profoundly beautiful, with that moral standard as the base,” said Daud Muhammad.
“This was the day which will be lifted through eons of time, because on this day, Allah declared through the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, our independence, and I thank Allah. Everyone that heard it and saw it is blessed, because we are free today,” said Dr. Ava Muhammad, attorney, author, national spokesperson for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and Nation of Islam student minister.
Minister Farrakhan completely neutralized both the Democrats and the Republicans when he quoted Bible scripture questioning when ‘Satan casts out Satan, then how can their house stand,’ said Dr. Ava Muhammad.
“We have no choice but to establish a Justice or Else party, and to make our own neighborhoods where we live safe and decent places to live. He told us we will police ourselves, and that we will let it be known that you will not tell us what to do in our neighborhoods,” she added.
Dawn White, an Indiana native and Atlanta resident, attended the address with a friend. She was blessed by the teaching as she always is, she told the Final Call.
“I’m a humble follower and student (of his teachings), and I was very impressed as I always am and it was a great message. It’s something that we should hear on a very regular basis as Black people, because we need to be inspired and planting the seed helps to grow the cause and the movement, so I’m thankful and blessed on the message today” she stated.
“I appreciate and I’m thankful for his message and for his life, because he has done so much for us as Blacks and I’m thankful to have been present in his presence. It’s been good,” Ms. White added.
This message marks the third time Lucy Cole, a Caucasian organizer and catalyst for informing and sharing with the Nation of Islam awareness of vaccine injuries and the role of the CDC in the Black community, has heard Minister Farrakhan speak. Her last time was during the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March, 10.10.15, “Justice or Else.” It was a beautiful message, she said.
“When he was talking about setting up a separate country for them (Black people), I turned to Del (Bigtree) and I said, boy, if things don’t change here, we gotta go to their country, because the oppression here is now spreading to everybody,” Ms. Cole said. Del Bigtree is an investigative journalist and executive producer of “Vaxxed: From cover-up to catastrophe” a documentary that exposes the dangers of vaccines and an alleged cover-up by the CDC.
“It’s not just the Black people, and the Native Americans, they are oppressing the entire American people and we are trying to wake people up to this so it will stop.”
Ms. Cole continued, “The fact that he’s standing up, and he’s saying this, and he’s working for it, and he’s getting his people to work for it, I think that’s fantastic and I’m very happy and proud for whatever I can contribute to that.”
Michelle Ford, founder of the Vaccine Injury Awareness League and CDC Truth said she was equally honored to be present and that so many things really hit home for her.
“When he was talking about the lies we tell ourselves, the devil within, all of that, and confronting that truth, confronting the possibility of not living 100 percent in truth was so moving for me, because I realize when I’m living in my truth, my power’s magnified by 100, 1,000,” Ms. Ford said.
“The times that I don’t honor my integrity, that’s when I’m not as effective. I don’t move mountains, but when I’m just being with God and totally honoring my truth, and the truth, things happen. Amazing things happen that you can’t explain otherwise,” she said.
Ms. Ford said being given the opportunity to have a voice to speak to the Nation of Islam, with such a beautiful, broad audience who was receptive to the message of harm caused by vaccines was humbling.
Ms. Ford who is White, said she feels like this was a turning point in the vaccine movement, and a turning point for the unity of mankind. “This is the beginning of a new paradigm for the future of the world. I really see that. The Justice or Else Party, I’m enrolled.”
This was also Del Bigtree’s first time hearing Min. Farrakhan live. He said it was much like his experience in producing the film “Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe,” and having the chance to work with gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who was vilified in all of medicine.
“I always said I need to meet that man and need to be in his presence to understand whether or not what was said is true, and I will say tonight, that what I recognize is this is a powerfully spiritual man who preaches love and connection and civility, and it’s the exact opposite that I’ve been told about this movement and who he is for all of my life,” Mr. Bigtree told The Final Call.
“It was an honor and it was much of what I expected, especially since the time I’ve had spending with Brother Tony Muhammad and Brother Ishmael. These people have been making me understand in their presence that there’s real beauty and real love, and that speech today was not only filled with love and I think in guidance. It was a historical experience of the truth of decades now and a people and an understanding of who the African American people are for sure, but even me as a Native American my background and all races,” said Mr. Bigtree.
“I think that we can all see the truth of the need for sovereignty, the need for understanding, that God is our true master. God is our government, and that resonated with me, and it’s just an incredible, incredible honor to have sat and stood on a stage with someone as powerful and beautiful as Minister Farrakhan.”
Student Southwest Regional Minister Dr. Robert Muhammad said what resonated with him was the divine guidance from Minister Farrakhan, knowing that he’s a man that’s on time, calling for Blacks’ separation and independence into a state or territory of their own, or to begin to lay the base to do such for themselves, their children, and their grandchildren.
“If you look at the ‘Millennials,’ who are not enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton, it tells you that the Democratic message and her message particularly is not resonating with them,” he said.
Minister Farrakhan’s message and those with him will echo throughout the land and challenge all of pharaoh’s skillful enchanters and magicians, he said.
“We will cast the truth after they cast their lies, and our truth will eat their lies up,” said Student Minister Robert Muhammad.
(Charlene Muhammad, Nisa Islam Muhammad and Donna Muhammad contributed to this story.)
