The long-standing distrust is rooted in broken promises, systemic racism, and the stark contrast between political talk and reality. Many Black people and American citizens are hesitant to believe campaign promises due to numerous failed commitments. Despite decades of civil rights activism and legislative efforts, issues such as economic inequality, police brutality, and inadequate access to quality education and healthcare persist.
Brother Malcolm X lectured in the 60s and reflected on the 14th, 15th, and 16th Amendments, Supreme Court decisions, and John F. Kennedy's campaign promises. He emphasized the ongoing struggle for civil rights and justice for Black Americans. Despite the amendments' aim to secure citizenship, voting rights, and equality for African Americans, Malcolm X noted that racism and inequality persisted. He criticized Kennedy's response to violence against Black individuals in Birmingham, Alabama, questioning Kennedy's sincerity in addressing the real problems facing Black Americans. Malcolm X called for a deeper examination of the integrity of those in power and highlighted the need for political promises to translate into real change. Are we still facing those same dynamics today?
The slow progress creates the impression that political promises are more about talk than tangible change. Furthermore, the political and economic systems in the U.S. often prioritize the interests of the wealthy and powerful, making it challenging for well-meaning politicians to enact substantial change and reinforcing the perception that campaign promises are hollow.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan's message in the video lecture is powerful for the changing dynamics of power and the rise of a new social order. He envisions a world where marginalized individuals finally claim their rightful place in society. Minister Farrakhan symbolizes a stagnant and cold existence by likening the world's current state to snow covering the earth. However, just as the snow melts when the earth turns towards the sun, heralding the rebirth of life, he urges people to turn towards God and embrace the divine light, signifying the dissolution of the old order and the emergence of a new, life-giving one.
Minister Farrakhan acknowledges that even those who currently dominate the world are disillusioned with its state and seek to maintain control. He passionately argues that the leadership of the new era will not belong to them but to those who were once dismissed or rejected—the 'stone that the builders rejected.' This passionate call to action invites all, especially those who have suffered oppression or neglect, to recognize their innate potential and ascend to their rightful place in the new world, underlining the theme of social justice.
At its core, this message champions transformation, rebirth, and the eventual justice and empowerment of those who have been marginalized.
"The following article is excerpted from a message in the Final Call newspaper delivered by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as Part 23 of his 58-week Lecture Series “The Time and What Must Be Done.” This message originally aired on Saturday, June 15, 2013. Years later, the message is still relevant to the present time."
“Time” is “the yardstick” of the measurement of our actions, and if our actions are not in accord with “The Time,” then we will suffer “loss.” So it is proper, it is right … And it is just, that The Knowledge of The Time be given to the whole Human Family; that we may measure our actions to see whether we are in accord with The Time! Because right now, surely man is suffering great loss, and it’s because we either don’t know “The Time” and refuse to believe in The Knowledge of The Time—and act according to that belief.
"Or, we just don’t care to believe that this is “The Time” of “The End of The World of The Wicked,” and it is “The Time” that The Black Man and Woman of America, who have been in a state of bondage for 450 years in America, and in the Western Hemisphere: That we should go free from our tormentors, and live according to The Way of God in a land of our own.
"It is not a “time of integration into that which is doomed.” So the scriptures clearly state in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 18, verses 4-5: “Come out of her, My people, that you may not be partakers of her sins and her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven … .” This is “The Time and What Must Be Done”—
Brothers and sisters, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and The Civil Rights Movement opened a way for us to go into business establishments that we were denied entry into, or to sleep in motels or hotels, or dine in restaurants that we were not permitted to sleep in or dine in before, we took our money away from spending with our own, and building a future for our own—and we began to spend our wealth with those who had denied us entry, for hundreds of years, into their establishments.
And so the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, in “The Muslim Program” that he put on the back page of the Muhammad Speaks newspaper; and now, on the back page of The Final Call newspaper: In “Point No. 9 of What The Muslims Believe,” he stated: “WE BELIEVE that the off er of integration is hypocritical and is made by those who are trying to deceive the Black peoples into believing that their 400-year-old open enemies of freedom, justice and equality are, all of a sudden, their ‘friends.’ Furthermore, we believe that such deception is intended to prevent Black people from realizing that the time in history has arrived for the separation from the Whites of this nation. …”
"As our subject a few broadcasts ago was “What Must Be Done”: America, you must let God’s People go! We have served you faithfully for 450 years as a slave, then as a free slave. We have fought in all of your wars, for your freedom and your independence—but, we are still singing “We Shall Overcome.” You have denied us everything that it takes to make a people free, justified and equal.
"We pay taxes like every other citizen, but our taxes support a school system that does not feed us, does not educate us, and does not qualify us! We support a political system that has been against us from the very beginning. We fight for a government that has been an open enemy to The Liberation Struggle of our people! It is not that we have been your “enemy,” but a government has been ours."
-THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN-
For more lectures and transcripts of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan visit www.noi.org
The challenge lies in breaking this cycle and finding ways to hold politicians accountable to their commitments while building grassroots movements that can push for more substantial, systemic change. It's a complex and ongoing struggle, but recognizing these systemic issues is crucial in advocating for a more just and equitable society.
"Black America must be the change it seeks". By prioritizing spending within the community, circulating the dollar within Black neighborhoods, and fostering a culture of entrepreneurship, Black Americans can build economic power from within.
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