 
The Time And What Must Be Done: Our Great Opportunity And Responsibility
I was privileged and honored to have had an opportunity to be present in Georgia last week, and to witness the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan privately and publicly address five different gatherings of our people.
Each of the settings varied in organization, function, audience composition and location, and as a result I was blessed to see the Minister speak deeply into the condition of our people across class, age, and ideological lines and to reach us all - profoundly - on spiritual, pragmatic, and conceptual levels, through his precise use of language. Minister Farrakhan’s teaching, representation, and understanding of the body of knowledge revealed to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is so deep that it actually demonstrates wisdom.
Of course by 'language,' I have more in mind than oratory and linguistics.
More on this, and what I saw in his powerful words, exemplary manners, and beautiful method in days to come, God Willing.
I was even honored to have had the opportunity to convey some of what I saw in "Come Out Of Her My People," personally and directly to the Minister.
That was and will remain a private moment (smile) but there is much I do intend to appropriately elaborate on concerning these five settings in Georgia.
What struck me at all of these gatherings was the consistently stern, sobering, yet beautiful and encouraging emphasis the Minister placed on the time and what must be done, in order to raise our people economically, politically, spiritually and morally from our ‘dead,’ dying, or near-death status. His talks which in some instances were complimented by question and answer sessions and dialogue, resulted in a family atmosphere and a deeper awareness of the need for us all to work together - more passionately and intelligently than ever before.
I saw beautiful responses to what he shared with many, and I also saw the unfortunate reaction and treatment of Minister Farrakhan as if he were an entertainer, or one who has entertained and received a poor response.
Of course in terms of the more casual, festive, and passive responses to the Minister's very serious warnings and counsel, I thought of both Ezekiel 33: 31 to 32 and Matthew: 11: 15-19 which read:
Ezekiel 33: 31 to 32-
33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
33:32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Matthew 11: 15 to 19-
15: He who has ears, let him hear.
16: "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17: " 'We played the flute for you,and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.'
18: For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'
19: The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."
Interestingly, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, with great respect, spoke of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey in terms of the John The Baptist figure described in the Bible.
While in Atlanta and considering why we do not move out on what the Minister explains, teaches, exhorts and advises us to do (and numerous other leaders, teachers and examples) - that we verbally express agreement with - I came to a deeper realization about the role that one's self-concept plays in that dynamic.
And of course self-knowledge is the basis of self-respect which is the basis of self-love.
Of course the condition of one's heart is a primary factor in how they receive or respond to a righteous call.
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Of course, each day, at some time or another, my mind was on the wider BlackElectorate.com audience of viewers and those more intimately involved in our “Business and Building” community – several of whom I met while in Georgia. Sometimes it is almost unbelievable what I learn from what some share, regarding the powerful impact this website has had on the minds, hearts, and even financial bottom lines of our people.
These forms of feedback, insight, compliments, encouragement and hope for the future in relation to what we have and are striving to do is nothing short of a spiritual reward to myself, Brother Charles Muhammad, and all of those who have carried the burden of giving birth to, and maintaining this website through many tests and trials.
I was unexpectedly and deeply touched to be approached by so many loving Brothers and Sisters who personally poured out their hearts and minds to me.
It is an enormous feeling to not just believe, but to be absolutely confident, that you are part of something – in terms of my relationship to the Nation Of Islam, Millions More Movement, and BlackElectorate.com and its “Business and Building” Community – that represents solutions to the problems that face our people. It is not really hope or optimism that I have, in the normal sense, as much as it is a deep conviction, that what I am a Member of, associated with, working on, and believe in, is greater than what I or we are up against.
I thought about this over the weekend while reading the books of Jeremiah and Psalms, in the Bible.
I am now - with great excitement - looking for more similarly convinced, and spirited individuals wherever I may find them, to lock arms and give a powerful demonstration in operational unity that will convince even more who are currently skeptical, pessimistic, hopeless, and doubtful but yet and still on their way to coming into belief in themselves and confidence and conviction in our collective rise.
One way or another we will all eventually be on 'the same page.'
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On the morning of October 16th, 2007, the morning of Minister Louis Farrakhan’s “Come Out Of Her My People” Holy Day Of Atonement Address commemorating the 12th anniversary of the Million Man March, I picked up and reviewed four newspapers: New York Times, Wall St. Journal, USA Today, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I was struck the most by four headlines in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. One concerned a detailed report of the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Hip-Hop artist T.I.; the second concerned a headline regarding over 6,000 foreclosures in Atlanta coming to auction in November, representing over $1 billion; the third was a story over the unprecedented drought affecting Lake Lanier and the dispute between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama over the use of the Chattahooche River; and fourth a report that the first of over 80 million Baby Boomers eligible for Social Security benefits had filed the necessary paperwork in order to claim them.
All of these stories in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution point to the reality that all our people – whatever their religious affiliation, ideology, class, age, and gender – are going to be forced to do for self, in the very near future.
The Minister’s appeal in “Come Out Of Her My People”; the underlying motivation of the Millions More Movement; and the purpose and function of BlackElectorate.com’s “Business and Building” Community is to willingly prepare and work out a future for our people while we can, before we have no other choice.
Think it over.
Doesn’t time demand something like the Four Initiatives of “Business and Building?”
I can’t wait to see you from October 26th to the 28th in Washington, D.C.!
We have much to discuss, plan, and work on.
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http://www.blackelectorate.com/mixer.asp
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Event Itinerary
http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=1977
Cedric Muhammad Monday, October 22, 2007 To discuss this article further enter The Deeper Look Dialogue Room
The views and opinions expressed herein by the author do not necessarily represent the opinions or position of BlackElectorate.com or Black Electorate Communications.
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