On Sunday, The 76 year old Nation of Islam leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan, warned his followers against complacency on President Barrack Obama’s Election as the first black President. “This can pacify you and lull you to sleep in a dangerous time, making you think that we live in a post-racial America – when the opposite is true,” he said. “He’s the American president, not the black president” he continued, “You may not be pleased with everything he’s saying and doing, but you have to understand that he’s been voted in to take care of the affairs of a nation, and not yours and mine particularly.”
Recently at events addressing a rise in youth violence, he said the death of Derrion Albert was a call to action. Albert, a Chicago high school honor student was victim of a fatal beating by other teens. An attack incidentally caught on video.
Farrakhan did not go into details in his most recent speech, which was focused on reducing crime, but described how members of the Nation of Islam have repeatedly shown how people can repair their lives. He said that repairing communities will be the theme and basis of a series of future lectures.
Since its founding in the 1930’s, the Nation of Islam has welcomed Black Nationalism and recruiting in prisons has been a main focus. “They’re going to prisons and they make a man and a woman whole, the prostitute gets cleaned up, the drug addict gets changed,” said Farrakhan. The election of President Obama has been used by the organization and Farrakhan as a launching point for celebration, call to action and intellectual discussion.