There is a classic spiritual in the church that says “Please be patient with me, God is not through with me yet.”  I remembered those words when the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan delivered his July 26 exposition, “The Crucifixion of Michael Jackson and All Responsible Black leadership.”

The lecture showed how the world can perceive people one way yet in reality they are evolving another way.

During the course of his speech, Minister Farrakhan gave an analysis of leaders who grew in their perspectives and positions using the examples of Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, Kwame Ture(Stokley Carmichael) and Malcolm X.

Explaining the philosophical change of Dubois, the Minister said, “He was a great scholar among us, Dubois started as a staunch integrationist-like many of us. But later he echoed a very Garveyite philosophy.”

Dubois initially espoused integration and was an early critic of the teachings of Marcus Garvey-who pushed a “back to Africa” world view. But then Dubois evolved into a strong advocate for the international struggle for liberation and reconnection to Africa.

In his growth Dubois was a leader of the “Pan-African Congresses”, the international symposiums on Africa and imperialism that began convening in 1919. The 5^th Pan African Congress held in Manchester, England was credited as one of the most important meetings for the future decolonization of Africa. The working document produced in Manchester called “To the World” boldly exposed the hypocrisy of imperial powers like England and the US who preached democracy and freedom while practicing colonialism and oppression in Africa.  The October 1945 conference drew participants from the USA, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Although early on Dubois disagreed with Garvey’s “Back to Africa” as a solution, he later honored an invitation from Ghana’s first post-colonial president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and repatriated to Ghana where he died and is now buried.

Another evolved voice that the US government worked to destroy and was successful at eliminating was Malcolm X, whose truth as a representative of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad was crystal clear. Like Dubois, Malcolm went through stages of transformation to ultimately become the person the world admired.

Malcolm Little grew into “Minister Malcolm Shabazz”, the reformed “Detroit Red”, a former hustler, pimp and convict. Through the teachings of Islam under the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm was set on a path of evolutionary development.

There was “intervention by the right environment” in the case of Malcolm being introduced to Islam by his blood brother while in prison said Akbar Muhammad, International Representative, writer and commentator who worked under Malcolm X at New York’s Muhammad Mosque # 7.

The beginning stages of growth was Malcolm’s early years of Islam in Detroit, Michigan, “teaching in barbershops, pool halls and on street corners”, Akbar said.

“When The Hon. Elijah Muhammad assigned Malcolm to New York City, that opened up a new door of development for him. The fact that Malcolm was in NY at a time when the liberation struggles were taking place in Africa afforded him the opportunity to meet many of the Ambassadors and Heads of States”, at the United Nations (UN).

Then Malcolm reached another step in his evolution when The Hon. Elijah Muhammad sent him to Saudi Arabia in 1959, exposing an international arena to Malcolm that was not considered in his “make-up.”

 
“By the time the UN opened and Fidel Castro made his first trip as the new leader of the Cuban Revolution and Malcolm went to the Hotel Theresa and sat down with him (Castro) and Che Guevara, you can imagine as a young Minister for the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, that opened a whole new world for him” said Akbar.

Malcolm’s growth and international view represents his evolving from one stage of growth to another.

Akbar Muhammad also reflected on the Revolutionary Kwame Ture (Stokley Carmichael), whom he was close to and bonded with living in Africa.

Carmichael started as a student activist at Howard University and became involved in the civil rights movement through the “Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

 But growing disillusioned with non-violence as an effective tactic for liberation, Carmichael began to expand toward internationalizing the struggle. His marriage to Miriam Makeba in 1968 and subsequent exile to Conakry, Guinea led to a significant political relationship with Pres. Sekou Toure and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The experience evolved and led him to his work with the All African People’s Revolutionary Party.

 “Kwame’s evolution showed in his change of names from ‘Stokley Carmichael’ to ‘Kwame Ture’, and then he got strongly involved in understanding Zionism and the political struggle of the Palestinian people,” said Akbar Muhammad. 

 “Kwame had his two mentors, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who studied theology from a Christian perspective and Sekou Toure, a strong Muslim that gave Kwame a well balanced approach to religion and revolutionary struggle,” Akbar added.

 In the case of Michael Jackson (MJ), Minister Farrakhan tied MJ to the universal struggle for freedom, justice and equality. The world figure and freedom fighter walked through a historical analysis of MJ’s personal challenges and the enormous battle the late singer and humanitarian waged to free himself from powerful influences on his business and personal life.

  Minister Farrakhan refocused the negative media attacks on MJ, such as his changes in skin tone and the charges of child abuse-which he was found innocent of in a court of law-by encouraging the audience to give less attention to MJ’s outer journey and more understanding to MJ’s inner journey that was evolving.

The evolutionary progression began to be reflected in MJ’s music that was used to send messages to the world, similar to the old “negro” spirituals that had messages of liberation and freedom.

Minister Farrakhan quoted the lyrics to MJ’s song “They Don’t Really Care about Us” to graphically illustrate MJ’s use of lyrics in the uncompromising stand Jackson took against his enemies who are ultimately, the enemies of Black people and all freedom loving people.

The leader also observed the militant posture of MJ on the Staple Center stage during the rehearsal of They don’t really care about us” marching across the stage in military precision-the highly publicized practice was filmed days before MJ’s death. The Minister also referenced MJ’s  final press conference announcing the “This is it” tour in London, ending his statement with a Black Power fist, a victory sign and an “about face.”

He walked through US counter intelligence program (COINTEL-PRO) that documented the conspiracy to undermine and eradicate visionary Black leaders and organizations fighting on the frontlines for the oppressed.

The documents said the program’s goal was to stop the rise of a “Black Messiah” who can unite black organizations and leaders into a united front. The plan was a continuation of FBI head, J. Edgar Hoover’s campaign to destroy progressive groups such as Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association, the largest mass movement of Blacks at the time.

In an article called “The World,” the Honorable Elijah Muhammad described the enemy plots against visionary leadership.

“If there is any good Black Man in America, and if his goodness is such that he refuses to teach people to follow the guide who is no good -- then the no-good man becomes a hater of that good person and seeks the death of the good person,” wrote Mr. Muhammad.

Mr. Muhammad further wrote that “the no-good man speaks evil of that good man just because the good man makes manifest the no-good man. Being no-good he does not want to be made manifest to The World because the no-good man seeks to keep The World under his no-good guidance.”