Put aside your personal grievances with the individual man and look at his “Message to the Black Man in America” as a blueprint for the complete liberation of Black Americans from the system of white supremacy.
We may be in 2019, but things aren’t much different then they were in Elijah’s day. Our access to advanced technology, modern conveniences and the illusion of inclusion makes us FEEL like things are “better”. In reality, we are just able to be more comfortable in our own suffering.
You don’t have to be a black muslim to be able to appreciate the message or acknowledge it’s usefulness. If you haven’t already, you need to read “Message to the Black Man in America” by Elijah Muhammad and listen to a few of his lectures from back in the day.
I’m not telling you to worship the man or even accept everything he says as truth. I’m saying that despite his flaws or your opinion of him he was able to raise millions of black men and women out of absolute destitution and ignorance. No one man has been able to come close to the accomplishments of this little yet powerful man. We must give him credit where credit is due and learn from him instead of focusing on his personal mistakes and discarding the whole message out of spite.
His message gave millions of black men and women the courage to be their own black selves, do for their own black selves and stand up to white America with supreme confidence.
We need those elements of his program that produced these magnificent results and men like Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Khalid Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan and millions more.
We can learn from the mistakes made by the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammad make an even better program, using Elijah’s initial message as blueprint.
There are MANY things that Elijah Muhammad was accused of doing or being that I do not support, but I’m mature enough to see what he brought to the table and how I can use it for my own liberation. I think Black America can benefit from some of his teachings as well.
Here are some things I think we can learn from Elijah Muhammad’s “Message to the Black Man in America” and use as a blueprint for the immediate rejuvenation of Black America:
- The black man/woman is the original human archetype, the entire human family can be found in the DNA of black people.
- Using drugs and alcohol gives us a severe disadvantage against the system of white supremacy and we need a sober mind to handle the task at hand. We can not afford to alter our mind states even more than the system of white supremacy already has.
- We need to view each other sincerely as brothers and sisters. We must learn to love each other and have a royal level of respect for one another. This starts with self love. If we hate ourselves and our blackness, we will also hate anyone else that resembles us.
- Depending on white people to gives us jobs, to house us, to give us loans, to educate us, to heal us, to feed us, to clothe us and to protect us has left us completely vulnerable and helpless. The whole planet earth has turned into a plantation for the white man, and we are still depending on ‘massa’ to take care of us. This is a form of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.
- We should maintain a strict way of eating. Our bodies were not meant to eat just anything, so keeping in that in consideration is crucial to maintaining a healthy life.
- Black people (in general) still have a crippling fear of white people in authority and this affects our overall self-esteem and ability to behave as free human beings. No one can serve to masters at once. So either you’re serving the white man or you’re serving yourself and your nation, but you can’t do both at the same time.
- Jesus is not coming back to save us, we must unite as a people and save ourselves.
- It is not white people’s responsibility to liberate their former slaves, if we want to be free then we must fight for it every step of the way independent of their “offerings” or “allowances”.
- The lack of discipline in the black community keeps us from rising above the ignorant and subservient status our former slaves masters spent centuries molding us into. We have become too lazy to take care of our own selves. This must change if we are to become a powerful nation once again.
- White people historically have brought lies, death and destruction every where they go. As a whole, there is nothing white people have done that truly benefits, uplifts or empowers the black man and woman. Token black people may benefit but not the masses. There is nowhere in the world where they have went and brought peace, love or justice to any indigenous peoples. They arrive with smiles and white Jesus, and leave with all of the natural resources plus control of the land. Following or integrating with a people (in general) that are so obviously anti-nature and historically murderous is suicide. It’s not a matter of “hating”, it’s a matter of intelligence. Would you get into a cage with a hungry lion? Why not? Is it because you hate the lion? Or is it because you don’t want to get eaten?
- We need to have our own land, government, economy, monetary system, businesses, schools, religious institutions independent of our former slave masters in order to truly be considered a “free” people.
These are a key elements that can contribute to the rebuilding of Black America.
We must love ourselves, respect ourselves, do for ourselves, protect ourselves, by any means necessary.
We MUST put ourselves and our nation first instead of willingly building other nations first that don’t even love us or respect us.
This is what I got from Elijah Muhammad’s “Message to the Black Man in America” that can be used in 2019 to rebuild Black America into a mighty “nation within a nation” that we should be.
