PLAINFIELD, N.J.—A section of Liberty Street now bears a new name: Abdul Karriem Muhammad/Linwood A. Cathcart Sr. Way, honoring a man known throughout Plainfield, the Nation of Islam, and the East Coast as Minister Abdul Karriem Muhammad.
The street renaming ceremony was more than a civic recognition, which took place on October 31 at the corner of West 2nd Street and Liberty Street.
It was a public acknowledgment of a life spent as a student in the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, a helper in the rebuilding work of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and in the service of Black people.
As family members, city leaders, believers, and longtime residents gathered beneath the new street sign, one theme emerged repeatedly: Plainfield would not be what it is today without the work and sacrifice of Minister Abdul Karriem Muhammad.
After decades of service, Minister Karriem returned to Allah (God) on May 17, 2025, at the age of 87.
One of his grandsons, Al-Lateef Farmer, opened the ceremony by welcoming guests and thanking his grandmother, Rosemary Cathcart, for sharing her husband with the broader community.
Re-flecting on returning home after more than two decades away, he said, “Never did I think I would ride down Second Street and not see my grandfather in the driveway.”
Fighting back emotion, he described the enormous role his grandfather played in both family and community life. “On those shoulders, he raised a family. He helped raise a Nation. He carried this city, and we all stand on it,” he said.
His words captured what many in attendance already knew. Minister Abdul Karriem Muhammad was not simply a community servant. He was a Nation builder whose influence extended far beyond the boundaries of Plainfield.
His journey began decades ago when, as a young man, he encountered Minister Malcolm X and accepted the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
That decision would define the rest of his life. Brother Wakeel Allah, who helped champion the street-renaming effort, re-minded attendees that Minister Karriem became a stabilizing force during some of Plainfield’s most turbulent moments, particularly during the unrest that shook the city.
After helping restore peace, he continued pressing elected officials to invest in neglected Black neighborhoods and youth programs. “This brother was always here for us,” Bro. Wakeel said, adding, “So we want to be here for him.”
Among the most moving testimonies came from Bro. Norman Deen Muhammad, who joined the Nation of Islam during the rebuilding efforts in the late 1970s under the leadership of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
“I’m one of the first brothers he (Min. Karriem) brought into the Nation during the rebuilding process in the late ‘70s, right here at 446 West 2nd Street,” Bro. Norman recalled. “Brother Karriem started with a handful of people, but Minister Farrakhan gave him his mission, and he took offfrom there.”
He described the street renaming as more than a local honor. For many believers in attendance, the street sign stands as recognition not only of one man, but of an entire generation of Nation of Islam laborers who helped Minister Farrakhan to rebuild the Nation after 1977.
Min. Karriem’s granddaughter, Sister Nadiyah Spencer, highlighted her grandfather’s deep love and loyalty for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. She recalled the moment Minister Farrakhan arrived in Plainfield in 1977 without a large group of people or security detail.
“He (Min. Karriem) told him, ‘I will help you, brother,’ and he meant it,” she said.
From that point forward, Min. Abdul Karriem Muhammad became one of Minister Farrakhan’s trusted aides, later serving as East Coast Regional Minister and minister of Mosque No. 80 in Plainfield, N.J.
According to Sis. Nadiyah, her grandfather’s greatest accomplishment was not organizational titles or public recognition. “What he did most was make boys into men,” she said. “He made sure we knew, as Black people, our strength, our capabilities, our beauty.”
Those words echoed throughout the ceremony as speaker after speaker credited him with helping shape their character, discipline, and understanding of self.
Bro. Joshua Muhammad, who led the effort to secure the street renaming, spoke about Min. Karriem’s unwavering devotion to the mission of the Nation of Islam.
“He absolutely loved the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan,” Bro. Joshua said to The Final Call. “We spent his last birthday with him, and he kept asking about our Minister. We felt it was befitting to honor him for his work with the Nation and in this city.”
Bro. Joshua and his wife spent nearly two years organizing support and gathering residents’ signatures. “We got over a thousand signatures and presented it for approval,” he explained. “The city council saw the value in honoring someone from the hometown,” he said.
Linward Cathcart Jr. reminded attendees why so many residents rallied behind the proposal. He spoke on watching his father’s community involvement since he was a child.
Mayor Adrian Mapp acknowledged the enormous scope of Minister Karriem’s influence.
“There’s no doubt about the contributions that the late Minister Karriem made to this city, this state, and this nation,” the mayor said. Mayor Mapp reminded attendees that there was a time when Black residents could not freely walk through their own neighborhoods without harassment.
“Because of people like Linwood Cathcart, this city has been transformed.”
Assemblywoman Linda Carter thanked the family for sharing him with the wider community.
“He continued to fight all of these years to make sure that we had what we needed to be successful,” she said.
City Council President Julienne Cherry praised Min. Karriem’s commitment to youth development and community uplift. “His life gives us a powerful example of true commitment,” she said.
Student Minister Michael Muhammad, representing Mosque No. 80 in Plainfield, said, “They say a man is known by his works, just as a tree is known by the fruit it bears. Having a street named after a man is one thing. But it is something greater for a community to take him as an example and strive to live by his principles.”
Scholar and community activist Imam Qasim Amin Nathari traveled from Newark to witness the occasion. “This man did tremendous work, not just in Plainfield, but throughout the East Coast and the country, especially during the rebuilding of the Nation of Islam,” he said to The Final Call.
For granddaughter Nadiyah Spencer, the honor carried special historical signifi cance. In comments to The Final Call, she said, “My grandfather brought me out today. What an honor, to have a street named after him at the very intersection where he raised his family.”
