1971 SPECIAL REPORT: "FARRAKHAN"

The dynamic Minister Louis Farrakhan, national spokesman for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam, is the subject of this Black Journal profile, entitled "Minister for Black Souls." (The Nation of Islam is a religious movement whose adherents are sometimes referred to as Black Muslims.)
The episode features an interview with the minister conducted by host Tony Brown, and portions of an address he made to a graduating class at Brooklyn's Boys High School. Black Journal also follows the charismatic leader as he walks near his Mosque in Harlem, talking to people, reaffirming their blackness, instilling greater brotherhood, warning them of the traps set by the white man, and stressing self-help and self-sufficiency. "Why should we get our own food, Brother?" he asks the clustered crowds.
"You know that the white man doesn't love us, and he's got all the stores and selling us the worst meat," he says, furnishing the answer. Minister Farrakhan also defines the philosophy of the Nation of Islam for Black Journal. He notes that it is basic to the needs of the black man - "Freedom, justice and equality.