She loved the Minister’s idea “regarding our health and growing our own food. The Minister said we should use empty spaces to grow gardens and I thought that that was so timely, especially the way fruits and vegetables are being grown, handled and stored.”
Cheyenne Alisha Smith, a medical student and member of Make The Road-New York, became emotional seeing the Minister face to face for the first time. When she got home she thought about her role as a future cardiologist. “It’s not about income, it’s about helping people,” she said.
Queen Nasirah, a former police officer and the founder of the Eye See You 7 organization, called the Minister’s message empowering. “Unity is the only method we can use to come out of the confusion we suffer as a people,” she said. “When we begin to (see) our connection to God—we won’t so easily shoot one another. You can’t know God and look at your brother or sister with an intention to kill him or her.”
Student Minister Hafeez Muhammad said the Local Organizing Committees are developing through organizations and individuals that can move people.
“The visit of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan to Philadelphia, in early June was a great example of leadership. The Minister is so confident in his leadership that he doesn’t have to send out a team of advance people to build a crowd and create the correct environment for his presence. Having served in government and politics for 40 years, I’ve seen close-up, how politicians and others go to great lengths to make sure that just the right crowd is present, when they make an appearance. In Philadelphia all the Minister said is that he would like to meet with leaders. When I made calls to let people know, the only ones who couldn’t be there were the ones who had schedules that they couldn’t change or folks (like me) who experienced emergencies,” said Joe Certaine, a former managing director for the city of Philadelphia. He was an integral part of the Philadelphia effort for the Million Man March and is backing the anniversary gathering.
“Since that day, everyone who spoke with me has asked about the next steps to get things moving. Minister Farrakhan has inspired us in ways that no other leader can. But, in his humility, he asked to sit with us and explain his view of why the Million Man March anniversary is necessary and important. Many of my friends and allies, who support the Minister, are preparing to hold the first organizing meeting for the regional effort. Most of us interact with leadership in