The National Ministry of Trade and Commerce was born out of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s call to form nine ministries at the Millions More Movement gathering in Washington in 2005.
Members of this particular ministry are refusing to let the idea die and are working to make the platform reality. They pooled their resources to launch “Project Freedom,” which gave birth to a recent tour through Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas.
“We want to network more and help build up our small businesses. We have to develop our own economic reality and not depend on others,” said Kamose Muhammad of Muhammad Mosque No. 6 in Baltimore. He serves as the student national chairman of the ministry and spearheaded the tour.
The first stop was in Hattiesburg, Miss., on July 28. According to Kamose Muhammad, Mississippi was chosen first based upon the dismal condition of Black people throughout the state.
“We researched all of the cities we wanted to go to and found that our people in Mississippi are alarmingly at the top of everything that is deadly,” said Kamose Muhammad.
Hattiesburg will also be the epicenter for the distribution of the ministry’s first major investment: bathroom tissue. Seven members of the ministry from various disciplines invested into the establishment of Freedom Paper Company. They are partnering with Norman Muhammad of Detroit who operates Pleasant Toilet Tissue. With the assistance of several manufacturers across the country, the first palettes of toilet tissue, called Freedom Tissue Paper, will be shipped out in a few months.
“While reading the book ‘The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews’ Vol. 2, we gained a deeper understanding of how the Jews used wicked practices, slavery and sharecropping to advance themselves,” said Kamose Muhammad. “We also learned how they master the art of getting behind one product. We have chosen to get behind this product with many skilled people and create jobs.”
“With the poverty and unemployment rate being so high here, the people were excited to see this presentation,” said Kaazim Muhammad, student coordinator of the Hattiesburg Nation of Islam Study Group.
“We can’t depend on others any longer. We need an economic movement and we can start with a product that everyone is already buying. Bathroom tissue is a $2.4 billion industry in the U.S.” said Kamose Muhammad.
On July 30, residents in Fort Worth convened at the Southside Community Center. “The people were on the edge of their seats and signed up to receive the products. Brother Kamose was outstanding,” said Steven Muhammad, the local ministry coordinator.
Little Rock was the final stop on the mini-tour. According to quality assurance expert Alicia Muhammad, the momentum there has picked up following the meeting in Central Little Rock.
“We’ve been getting calls about whole distribution and investment opportunities with the bathroom tissue. We’re also pushing eco-friendly bags. This is just the first step,” said Alicia Muhammad.
Other national plans include growing the Trade and Commerce ministries throughout the country, building a stronger network between business owners in the Nation of Islam and spreading the bathroom tissue model at the upcoming World Day of Atonement celebration, scheduled to be held in Philadelphia in October.
“This is all a continuation of what we started at the Day of Atonement in Tampa and the workshop we presented at Saviours’ Day 2011. We’re following the guidance and direction of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. This tour will continue after the Day of Atonement,” said Kamose Muhammad.
(For more information on National Ministry of Trade and Commerce, visit www.nationaltradeandcommerce.org.)
