Above: Sister Student National M.G.T. & G.C.C. Captain Naeemah Muhammad sits surrounded by the M.G.T. & G.C.C. Vanguard on Sept. 18 at Mosque Maryam. Below: Scenes from the Vanguard Retreat at the Westin O’Hare hotel include close-order drill, fashion show, workshops and candid shots of the sisterhood.

ROSEMONT, Ill.—The Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois, was flooded with M.G.T. Vanguard, the warrior unit of the Nation of Islam comprised of young women and girls ages 16 to 35.

Women and girls traveled near and far to participate in the Vanguard Retreat from Sept. 15 to Sept. 18. It was a weekend of workouts, martial arts, close order drill, workshops and sisterhood.

The theme of the retreat was “The Virtuous M.G.T. and G.C.C. (Muslim Girls in Training and General Civilization Class) Vanguard.” The purpose of the retreat, as written in the souvenir book given to the young women, was for the sisters to embrace their divine value, to recognize the sacredness of their wombs as Allah’s (God’s) workshop, to accept the responsibility of guarding their chastity, to accept the duty of protecting themselves and their elders and to be an example of high civilization for the Jr. MGT and Jr. Vanguard, girls under 16.

The M.G.T. Vanguard was established by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

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Day one of the retreat, the sisters mined “the jewels of the sisterhood.” Throughout the weekend, they participated in “Reflecting Farrakhan” social media activities, where they filled the social media airwaves with modest outfits.

Day two’s workshops centered on the seven training units’ Muslim women and girls learn: how to keep house, how to rear children, how to take care of their husband, sew, cook, and how to act at home and abroad. 

Following the workshops, the Vanguard and Jr. Vanguard received a special message from the head of their class, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. He spoke on the resurrection of the Black woman, the importance of women being themselves and the value of the Black woman in the sight of God. 

The day ended in a fashion show extravaganza, where models in modest garments walked the runway.

Day three, the Vanguard and Jr. Vanguard visited the Minister’s home at the Nation of Islam’s Michigan Farm. They participated in team-building exercises such as dodgeball and tug-of-war, ate delicious food and much more. The sisters clapped and cheered with excitement when Nation of Islam First Lady Mother Khadijah Farrakhan came through to wave to and greet participants.

The weekend closed with a special tribute to Sister Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad. On day four, the women and girls created a sea of white in Mosque Maryam, the National Center of the Nation of Islam. The lineup of speakers and presenters at the Sunday mosque meeting included Sister Kenya Muhammad, Sister Nyah Muhammad and Sister Tairah Muhammad all from Chicago; Sister Sabbath Muhammad from Atlanta and Sister Janiah X from Miami, all Vanguard. Sister Nneka Muhammad delivered the keynote address.

At the end of the meeting, the Vanguard and all in attendance stood on their feet to give a final salute to Sister Minister Dr. Ava Muhammad, who, in the words of Nneka Muhammad, personified what it means to be a Vanguard. Student National M.G.T. Captain Naeemah Muhammad and her staff worked diligently and nonstop to make the weekend a success.

Stay tuned for additional coverage on the MGT Vanguard Retreat in an upcoming issue of The Final Call.