In Gaza, more than 100 international humanitarian, human rights and civil society organizations signed a joint statement arguing that continued military attacks, territorial restrictions and obstacles to humanitarian assistance have rendered the ceasefire largely ineffective in protecting Palestinians.

In Lebanon, a New York Times investigation documented widespread destruction after a so-called ceasefire that went into effect in April, including the demolition of predominantly Shiite Muslim villages, the burning of agricultural land and the construction of Israeli military infrastructure inside occupied Lebanese territory.

The Gaza so-called ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10, 2025, but the ceasefire did not stop Israeli forces from continuing to kill Palestinians and deprive Gaza of much-needed resources, such as aid, equipment and rebuilding materials. In the statement, the 100-plus organizations warned that the killing and deprivation in Gaza “must not be normalized under the cover of a ceasefire agreement.”

“A year on, the pattern is unmistakable. Families are still being killed. Children are still dying of preventable illness. Gaza is still littered with unexploded ordnance. Homes lie in rubble that cannot be cleared, and aid cannot reach the people who so desperately need it,” the statement says.

“This is not what a ceasefire was meant to deliver. It reflects the same conditions that twice led the UN Commission of Inquiry, in September 2025 and again in June 2026, to conclude that Israel has committed genocide. The international community’s responsibility does not end with an agreement on paper.”

The statement shared alarming figures illustrating the impact of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, including conditions during the ceasefire period:

•        Over the past year, Israel has killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 327 children.

•        More than 80% of structures across Gaza have been damaged, with around two-thirds of all structures completely destroyed. Neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, homes have been flattened and agricultural land has been razed.

•        Hundreds of thousands of families are still living in tents, makeshift shelters or damaged homes, leaving them vulnerable for the fourth consecutive winter since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.

•        None of Gaza’s hospitals are fully functioning, and medicines, equipment and fuel remain critically scarce. More than 18,500 patients, including at least 4,000 children, still need medical evacuation, and more than 1,000 people have died while waiting.

•        Approximately 1.4 million people are facing crisis-level hunger or worse through the end of 2026.

Israel has also continued its destructive military operations in southern Lebanon despite an April ceasefire agreement. A New York Times investigation found that after the ceasefire, “Israeli forces deliberately demolished homes, schools, mosques and roads, predominantly in Shiite Muslim villages” in Lebanon.

The Times analyzed satellite imagery and found that 48 out of 60 villages and towns in Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon were mostly destroyed. Its investigation documented additional demolitions and destruction after the April ceasefire went into effect.

It also found that roughly 270,000 Lebanese have been displaced from the occupied region, about 16,500 acres have burned since the ceasefire and more than 200 wildfires have been recorded between early April and September.

“Much of the area is now uninhabitable,” the Times reported. “At the same time, Israeli forces built new infrastructure, suggesting plans for a prolonged military presence.”

“The level of violence, the scale and tools of destruction, is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past,” Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said in the Times article. “Every bit of infrastructure is being destroyed, as if to prevent the population from returning anytime soon even if Israel withdraws.”

The Times also referenced words from Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, who “said his country’s approach to southern Lebanon is modeled on tactics used in Gaza, where the Israeli military reduced entire neighborhoods to rubble.”

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reported that more than 4,300 people have been killed in the country since March 2, bringing the reported death toll since October 2023 to nearly 9,000. In Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported more than 74,000 deaths since October 2023.

Inger Ashing, chief executive officer of Save the Children, described the Gaza ceasefire as “meaningless if children are still being killed and families are still unable to rebuild their lives.”

“Since the ceasefire was announced, nearly one child has been killed every day. Families remain trapped in a devastating cycle of loss and deprivation, unable to recover,” she said in the joint statement.

“Governments that backed this agreement must use their influence to stop the killing and ensure children can access food, healthcare, shelter and education. Gaza’s children have a right to safety and a future. Governments have the power to help secure both, and they must use it.”

Jan Egeland, secretary general for the Norwegian Refugee Council, called it “utterly shameful” that little has improved for Palestinians in Gaza one full year after the ceasefire was signed.

Dr. Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, stated: “Accountability cannot be swept under the rubble.”

“The recovery and future of Gaza cannot be separated from a framework grounded in international law, justice, and the rights of victims,” she added. “The persistent failure to hold Israel accountable and press Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s binding orders continues to fuel the atrocity crimes on a mass scale against Palestinians.”

Kenneth Roth is an American attorney, human rights activist and former executive director of Human Rights Watch. “Israel seems to have largely ignored the supposed ceasefires in Gaza and southern Lebanon by continuing offensive operations.

Netanyahu seems to calculate that so long as the level of fighting is not too intense, Trump won’t notice, so Israel won’t be any price. So far, Netanyahu has been right. That said, the gratuitous destruction of civilian property is a war crime.

As the new film NAZA demonstrates, Israel flattened much of Gaza not to attack legitimate military targets but to render large portions of the territory uninhabitable as part of its plan to force large numbers of Palestinians to flee.

That same war-crime strategy is now also being pursued in southern Lebanon,” said Mr. Roth via an email response to a series of questions from The Final Call. 

The continued Israeli military operations and destruction in Gaza and Lebanon come more than two years after the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, warned of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vision of a “Greater Israel.”

In his 2024 Saviours’ Day message, “What Does Allah, The Great Mahdi and The Great Messiah Have To Say About The War In The Middle East,” Minister Farrakhan warned that Prime Minister Netanyahu would not succeed in realizing that vision.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has a vision of ‘Greater Israel.’ Several states over there, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, they intend to annex that to what is called ‘Greater Israel,’” the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said.

He warned Prime Minister Netanyahu: “You’re not going to stay in the Middle East. … Mr. Netanyahu, I warn you, in The Name of Allah. We warn you …: ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin’ (your kingdom has been weighed in the balance; it has been numbered).  And it’s getting to the end of ‘Israel.’”

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan further warned: “Mr. Netanyahu: There is a revolt against him now in Israel, and he may not be elected as prime minister in the future. I am saying this to him now.

Because you are not going to live to see the vision that you have for Israel, to ‘conquer the whole Middle East,’ and you will be ‘the great [leader].’ No, no, no. You can pack that desire away, because you will never see what you envision.”

—Anisah Muhammad, Staff Writer

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These calamities bear witness to the warnings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. In Chapter 35 of His book, “The Fall of America,” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad writes, “The four great judgments that Almighty Allah (God) is bringing upon America are rain, hail, snow and earthquakes.

We see them now covering all sides of America, as the Holy Qur’an prophesies, curtailing her on all her sides. And these judgments would push the people into the center of the country, and there they would realize that it is Allah (God) Who is bringing them and their country to a naught.”

His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, has carried that warning across the country and the world for decades in three words: “Watch the weather.”

On Oct. 9, Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph, The Weather Channel reported. Isaias became a tropical storm in the Gulf on Oct. 7, according to the National Hurricane Center. Nearly 900,000 customers lost power in the first hours, mostly in Florida and Alabama, the AP reported.

That same weekend, Tropical Storm Rachel sent waves crashing into homes on California’s Long Beach Peninsula, city officials said. Its remnants flooded Ensenada, Mexico and Baja, California authorities said.

Rain from Rachel also hit Nevada. In Las Vegas, 1.08 inches of rain tied the city’s record for a single October day, set in 1947, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

At Final Call press time, at least 16 people were dead across Florida, Alabama and Mexico, according to figures from those state officials and Mexican authorities. Over the same weekend as Rachel, Hurricane Simon’s rains killed a 71-year-old in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, when a wall collapsed, Guerrero Gov.

Evelyn Salgado said, the AP reported. In Hawaii, Hurricane Nolo veered away from the Big Island in late September, but rain gauges still recorded 17.65 inches at Laupahoehoe, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.

In Long Beach, Calif., the city red-tagged eight structures covering 13 addresses, yellow-tagged one more and ordered residents of the 6400 and 6500 blocks of Seaside Walk to evacuate, Mayor Rex Richardson said at an Oct. 10 city community update.

The Peninsula’s bulkhead and boardwalk, city infrastructure that has served the community for more than 100 years, sustained significant damage, said Todd Leland, the city’s marine bureau manager.

Crews braced the wall with lumber and thousands of sandbags, using a crane to place heavy-duty sandbags with a 3,000-pound capacity and tripled pumping capacity, he said. “Our infrastructure was not built for this,” said Mayor Richardson.

In Newport Beach, City Manager Seimone Jurjis, acting as director of emergency services, declared a local emergency Oct. 9 after higher-than-normal surf and elevated tides flooded streets on the Balboa Peninsula. The declaration “will help the city secure additional resources as crews continue working to protect homes, property and public safety,” the city said.

The NWS issued a coastal flood warning for San Diego and Orange County coastal areas, cautioning that “low-lying property including homes, businesses, and some critical infrastructure may flood.”

Both the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan warned that these weather calamities would continue to strike America and they are also being seen in other parts of the world.

In a message delivered on Aug. 16 from Mosque Maryam in Chicago, Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, reminded the audience of what Black people must do to prepare for when these calamities strike.

“We have to get our survival gear in place. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us what foods to store, and he taught us to prepare for this that we are witnessing,” stated Student Minister Ishmael.

In a June 4, 2025, interview on the Underground Dialogue Podcast, Nation of Islam Student Southwest Regional Minister Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad, an urban planner and environmental analyst, said families can’t wait on outside help. “Brother and sister, nobody’s coming to save us. We’re going to have to organize ourselves,” he said. “You can’t thrive until you survive.”

He urged people to make small sacrifices now and put money toward emergency supplies. He also cited recommendations from Sister Landra Muhammad, a member of the Nation of Islam and a disaster preparedness researcher. Some of the tips recommended:

• Spend for survival. Skip the new outfit and buy extra water and nonperishable food such as rice and (navy) beans, plus an alternative way to cook.
• Light the dark. Keep a flashlight and batteries.
• Get organized. Write down family contacts, doctors, pharmacies, medications and insurance information.
• Learn the basics. Know how to turn off household gas and water, learn basic first aid and keep a fire extinguisher.
• Pack two bags. Keep a shelter-in-place bag at home and a go bag holding medications, snacks, water and important papers such as deeds, insurance documents and passports.
• Plan an exit. Map out your home’s layout and know where you will go.

Sister Landra urged families not to wait to prepare. “The best time to have started preparing was yesterday. The next best time is to start today. Start wherever you are,” she told The Final Call.

“If you have $5 per week, dedicate $5 to something, whether it be food or some type of supply that is dedicated for preparedness. You may not use that until an emergency, and you have to have some type of discipline with this,” she recommended.

“Minister Farrakhan taught us we have to depend on Allah (God) … and each other to do something for ourselves,” Student Min. Haleem said.

The post Severe weather strikes West Coast and Florida’s Panhandle appeared first on Final Call News.

Opened his doors to Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and a son of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam.

What followed was a sweeping, in-depth exchange on the “Conversate with Killer Mike” podcast—a dialogue that moved from the 1995 Million Man March and Holy Day of Atonement called by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan—to the unseen global forces now shaping America’s destiny. Student Min. Ishmael was in Atlanta as the Nation of Islam convened the 31st Anniversary of the historic Million Man March.

“You’re one of the most powerful men in our community,” Killer Mike said as the cameras rolled, “but you’ve never carried yourself like you’re above anyone.” It was a moment of genuine respect, the kind that comes from years of watching the Nation of Islam transform Black men and women with discipline, structure, and purpose.

Student Min. Ishmael received the praise with humility. “We don’t see ourselves as greater than our brother or sister because we’ve gained knowledge,” he said. “At the end of the day, we are all children of God,” he said.

Several themes guided the exchange during the program: educating our children, redemption behind prison walls, how to eat to live, doing for self, unity, Malcolm X, and more.

When asked to introduce himself, Student Min. Ishmael offered no titles beyond service, saying he is “a human being among 7.5 billion on the planet,” and “blessed to be a son of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Mother Tynnetta Muhammad, and blessed to serve as National Assistant Minister to Minister Farrakhan.”

The conversation quickly turned to the Nation’s core teaching: knowledge of self. “The first thing is: who are you?” Student Min. Ishmael said. “That knowledge of self and knowledge of God is the key to our return to God and to ourselves.”

He argued that mainstream education and media strip Black people of identity, leaving children unable to respect themselves—and therefore unable to respect one another. “If you don’t respect yourself,” he said, “you won’t respect your brother or your sister any more than you know how to love yourself.”

Killer Mike connected this to a broader pattern: the same systems that undereducated Black children also keep poor White communities uninformed, weaponizing ignorance to maintain a social hierarchy. “We should see solidarity across those lines,” Killer Mike said.

Student Min. Ishmael shared a chilling example: several years ago, in speaking to students in Gary, Indiana, he found that none had been taught about the transatlantic slave trade. Some school districts now teach that Black Americans “migrated.”

“When you deprive a people of their history, it’s like cutting a tree at its roots,” Student Min. Ishmael said. “How can it grow?”

A central theme during the podcast was the distinction between a nation and an organization.

“An organization is one part; a nation is the whole,” Student Min. Ishmael explained. “That’s why it’s not called an Islamic organization. It’s the Nation of Islam. We build nations, not organizations.” He pointed to the Million Man March as proof—millions setting aside religious and organizational differences to stand as one.

Student Min. Ishmael credited his mother, Tynnetta Muhammad—writer, lecturer, and world traveler—for shaping his worldview. She taught that worship means nothing without service and that a divine thread unites humanity.

Her travels took the family to Mexico, where young Ishmael learned Spanish and encountered cultures that broadened his understanding of Black, Latino, and Indigenous unity. “Once you go to Mexico, to Europe, to Africa, it expands your horizon,” he said. “You’re not narrow in your thinking anymore.”

He described a global power structure: a small elite, a middle class that serves as a buffer, and a mass of people kept uninformed.

“No man can rule over you except he has a greater knowledge than you,” he said. “That’s why real knowledge is feared—it opens the mind.” He noted that Nation of Islam students often complete their education years ahead of peers,

Evidence that mainstream schooling prolongs learning rather than accelerating it. “Real education never makes you docile, helpless, or dependent,” he said. “It unlocks the creative power the Creator gave you.”

The conversation then turned to the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s Teachings on the Mother Plane—a massive human-built craft described in the Bible book of Ezekiel. Student Min. Ishmael noted that even Pentagon files reference a “mother craft” or “ship” that releases “smaller probes.”

“These crafts hover near military installations for a reason,” he said. “There are forces on this planet that, left unchecked, would destroy all of humanity.” He argued this is why Minister Farrakhan speaks with such boldness: “You cannot speak with that kind of conviction unless you know God and the power behind you.”

Student Min. Ishmael also addressed long-standing misconceptions about the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s domestic life. He explained the Quranic context for multiple wives and emphasized that every child born of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and his wives ultimately stood and stands with Minister Farrakhan.

He also spoke personally about growing up without knowing his father until age seven, facing rejection and colorism—even within the Nation of Islam. “I grew up with a color complex,” he said.

“Not from the outside world, but from my own community.” Only recently, he said, did he feel ready to publicly call the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad “my father,” a moment that nearly moved him to tears during the podcast conversation.

Student Min. Ishmael also clarified that Malcolm X did not leave the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad because of domestic issues. Malcolm X already knew his teacher had multiple wives.

The real tension came from Malcolm’s public comments on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, made against the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s direct instructions for his ministers not to speak on the president’s death. Still, the Nation of Islam honors Malcolm’s contributions. “No good deed is wasted,” he said. “Malcolm continues to lead people toward truth.”

Killer Mike echoed civil rights leader Dick Gregory’s assertion that the U.S. government—not the Nation of Islam—was responsible for Malcolm’s assassination. Student Min. Ishmael connected the assassinations of Malcolm X and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., arguing that each was tied to the U.S. government’s fear of unified Black political power.

The conversation closed with reflections on how the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s Teachings—from life on Mars to eating one meal a day and fasting—were mocked for decades, only to be validated by modern science. “We’ve been taught to wait for outside validation,” Student Min. Ishmael said. “That mindset has to end. We already carry the answers.”

He argued that the path forward is collaboration—setting aside divisions and building as though no one is coming to save us. “When opportunity arrives,” he said, “we need to be ready to meet it, not scrambling to catch up.”

Killer Mike concluded the program emphasizing, “God’s love doesn’t skip anyone. Noah drank. Job suffered, lost everything, and started again. If God walked with broken men before, why not us? Wouldn’t our nation deserve a savior?

Why wouldn’t God speak directly to a people stripped of their true history, their true names, their true power? That’s the message I bring to my audience: stand in your worth.”—Michael Z. Muhammad, Contributing Writer

The post A deep, unfiltered dialogue on the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, atonement, education, and Black unity appeared first on Final Call News.

On October 9, inside Tabla Restaurant, a cross-section of Georgia’s Black political leadership, educators, clergy, organizers, and Nation of Islam members met for a dinner discussion that also served as a spiritual checkpoint.

The event, hosted by Georgia Legislative Black Caucus members State Representatives Robert Dawson and Eric Bell, along with Attorney Brandon Price Crum, aligned with the Holy Day of Atonement—a time rooted in accountability, reconciliation, and community restoration. The Holy Day of Atonement was established with the 1995 Million Man March convened by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Attorney Crum opened the evening, followed by Representative Dawson, whose introduction of Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, set a deeply personal tone. Mr. Dawson did not recite a résumé; he offered testimony.

Mr. Dawson spoke with the candor of a man shaped by struggle. “People see me now in office with perceived power,” he said. “But I didn’t fall from heaven. I rose from hell.”

He recalled meeting Student Min. Ishmael as a young man on 125th Street in Harlem—“dreads in my hair,” and searching for direction. That encounter “put a battery in my back,” sparking a transformation that redirected his life and anchored his purpose.

Mr. Dawson described Student Min. Ishmael as a grounded, disciplined, studious servant-leader—a family man, a consistent worker, a quiet force.

Student Min. Ishmael began by thanking Allah (God) for the prophets and reaffirming his position as a student of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad under the divine guidance of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

His message to the audience was anchored in scripture and the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and moved into a reflection on the Million Man March.

He reminded the room that October 16, 1995, was not a political demonstration but a spiritual summons. “No man had ever called a million Black men together—not for arms, but for atonement,” he said. “We went to make a demand on ourselves.”

Unity was demonstrated that day—AME, Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Hebrew Israelite, agnostic, Crips, Gangster Disciples—standing shoulder to shoulder as brothers, offered a glimpse of how God intended us to see one another, Student Min. Ishmael explained.

“Look at the word ‘unity.’ The ‘I’ sits in the middle—and that ‘I’ must always be God. If we could live that unity for one day, we can live it every day. But we are still too divided,” he said.

When ego replaces God at the center, unity collapses; and when unity collapses, political, social, and economic power evaporates, he concluded.

From unity, the message shifted to timing: “There is a season for everything. If our actions aren’t in harmony with the time, no amount of planning will bring success,” Student Min. Ishmael said.

He warned that America is living through the decline of a civilization. He said political leaders know firsthand that the system they operate within “is corrupt to the core,” built for the wealthy and never for the poor.

He cautioned that compromise is a seduction. “How many of us claim Christ on Sunday, then make deals all week, only to ask forgiveness again next Sunday?” he asked.

He revisited Minister Farrakhan’s warning from the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March, also known as “The Millions More Movement.” There, Minister Farrakhan noted that the most educated among Black people are often placed in positions that separate them from the masses.

“This design makes us feel we’ve arrived, while our people remain in poverty in the midst of plenty,” Min. Farrakhan said at that time, noted Student Min. Ishmael.

He explained that the Millions More Movement was created to bring skilled Black professionals back into alignment with the needs of the many. Leaders must think like a nation, not an organization, he said, adding, “(the Honorable) Elijah Muhammad said our unity is more powerful than atomic power.”

Explaining the function of unity, Min. Ishmael explained, “Everybody can’t play quarterback. Somebody has to block. Somebody has to run. When everyone plays their position, the team wins,” he said. A direct warning followed:

“You have power in your hands, and power can be manipulated.” When powerful interests dislike a Black leader doing real work, they often elevate another candidate willing to serve their [powerful interests] agenda, he said. “That replacement may be well-meaning, but serves them, not us,” he said.

He reminded the room that Jesus was not popular—truth to power rarely is. Divisions within the room were addressed head-on: “Some of us in this room have offended each other. … If we carry division, how can we call young people to unity?”

Global conflict, rising inflation, and extreme weather were cited as signs of divine judgment. “(The Honorable) Elijah Muhammad warned that God would visit America with rain, hail, snow, and earthquakes,” Student Min. Ishmael said.

Recent earthquakes, shifting hurricane seasons, and geopolitical tensions were referenced as evidence. “These are not the fault of our children. They are the fruit of a world we’ve allowed others to control,” he said.

His closing call centered on unity, courage, and responsibility—especially in education. “Without self-love and self-respect, we see Black boys disrespecting Black girls, Black boys killing Black boys,” he said, adding that the work of the Million Man March—atonement, reconciliation, responsibility—remains unfinished.

Guests left with the message still resonating. Brother Musa Shabazz, a Los Angeles native now living in Atlanta, told The Final Call the words were overdue for those in office. “His message was very necessary, especially for those in political office, understanding that their position is to serve the people, not to prioritize their own interests,” Mr. Shabazz said. “It really spoke to the importance of integrity.”

Coach Barry Ross of Atlanta heard the lesson as a coach would. “Very inspirational, very motivational,” Mr. Ross said. “Bringing us together for one common goal: to better ourselves and better each other,” he continued.

“Being a coach myself, I connected with the one about the field: the linemen, everybody has a position,” he said. “He also talked about the body’s organs working in unison. Those metaphors really resonated with me.”

Bishop Greg Fann called the address unflinching. “The words that he gave is phenomenal because it’s the truth. Ain’t nothing but the truth,” Bishop Fann said. “We do need people who are in political office to have courage and to be standing up on truth and not being bought out with money.”

It was Bishop Fann’s first time meeting Student Min. Ishmael. He credited another leader for bringing him into the work. “Minister Sharrieff Muhammad is the reason that I began to work with the Nation because he’s a straight-up brother too, all the way,” he said, referring to Nation of Islam Student Southern Regional Minister Abdul Sharrieff Muhammad of Mosque No. 15 in Atlanta.

Professor Tia Gibbs of Atlanta told The Final Call the message landed squarely on her daily work. “It was so informative and right on time,” Ms. Gibbs said. “I work with young people all the time, and one thing I noticed is they don’t know our history.

So, they’re not as motivated.” For her, the talk of unity hit hardest. “He was talking about how people have the beef and envy each other,” Ms. Gibbs said. “People get caught up in such trivial situations that they lose the point, especially with the last few elections. We lost all the way around because people couldn’t get along for the common good.”

Representative Eric Bell told The Final Call that hosting the event was essential once he learned the Holy Day of Atonement would be in Atlanta. “Georgia’s open for our community. Georgia’s open for change.” Political backlash did not concern him. “Blowback from who? I welcome it.”

In a time of political division, global conflict, economic strain, and moral confusion, the night’s message was unmistakable: unity is power, integrity is protection, and leadership is service. The responsibility to make communities decent and safe rests on every shoulder in the room.

The dinner ended. The charge did not. Thirty-one years after nearly two million men gathered to atone, the call in Atlanta remained the same: Look inward. Lay down old grudges. Play your position. Serve the whole.

As Student Min. Ishmael Muhammad put it, the responsibility belongs to everyone in the room—and everyone outside it.

The post A sobering call to courage, unity, and moral leadership appeared first on Final Call News.

Nolan Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, and their legal team held a press conference on Oct. 5 in Inglewood, California, on the renewed push for the investigation. The push follows a Mississippi grand jury decision not to indict anyone in connection with the death of the Black teen.

Nolan, 18, traveled from his hometown of Ocean Springs, Miss., to Horn Island with a group of people on July 4. In a widely circulated photograph, he was pictured aboard a boat with three young White men, who returned to the mainland without him. His body was discovered two days later off the shore of the island.

The state autopsy reported that no fluid or debris was found in Nolan’s airways, and his stomach was empty. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner and the family’s independent medical examiner, Dr. Roger Mitchell, documented contusions to the back of Nolan’s head. The cause and manner of Nolan’s death are undetermined.

“There is so much that screams out that we should not close this investigation, that we should keep asking questions. We should keep dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’ because Nolan was Christine and Elmore’s son. But in many ways, he was all of our son,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump, part of the family’s legal team, said at the press conference.

Congresswomen Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) are supporting the family’s call.

At the press conference, Atty. Crump read a letter from Rep. Wilson addressed to Jessica Bowron, the acting director of the National Park Service, requesting a “prompt and exhaustive investigation” into Nolan’s death.

Horn Island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and is administered by the National Park Service. Rep. Wilson urged Ms. Bowron to direct the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch to “examine every circumstance surrounding Nolan’s death and pursue every available lead.”

“Nolan Xavier Wells was a son whose life was precious and whose life mattered and whose future was full of promise. The loss of his life has left his family with a question they should not have to fight to have answered: ‘What happened to our son?’” her letter read. “Nolan cannot speak for himself.

Therefore, we have a duty, all of us, to ensure his death is met with the seriousness it deserves. Not only are we asking that you hear the pleas of Nolan’s mother and father and his family, but we’re asking that you hear the pleas of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as all of us all across America saying, ‘What really happened to Nolan Xavier Wells?’”

Cynthia Choi, executive director of Stop AAPI Hate, further demanded that the Justice Department conduct a full and thorough federal investigation.

“We stand with the Wells-Wonsley family for as long as it takes,” she said.

Nolan Wells’ parents have been fighting for answers about their son’s death for more than three months. Ms. Wonsley was recognized at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum’s 30th Anniversary Gala, where she received the organization’s “Voice of Courage Award.” Nolan was Black and, through his mother, was also of Filipino heritage.

“It has been 93 days. I want that to sink in. 93 days,” Ms. Wonsley said at the press conference.

“Our child went out with young men who he thought were his friends. Everyone made it home but Nolan. Two days later— two days later—he’s found dead. He’s found dead. No longer here to give us a hug, tell us he loves us, tell us corny jokes, put his cellphone in our face first thing in the morning.

We do not have that anymore. What we were left with were many, many inconsistent stories, as well as our local authorities early on telling us this is likely an accidental drowning,” she added. “Body has not even been processed and ME (medical examiner) has not done her job.

It’s just already the narrative is likely a possible drowning. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing to see here. Then the grand jury comes back and they say, ‘You know what? Consistent. It’s consistent with drowning, accidental drowning.’”

But she posed several questions: Why were there no photos taken of the back of Nolan’s head, why wasn’t a thorough investigation done and where is the physical evidence from the autopsies?

“Elmore and I, our family, our friends, the community, all of you, we cannot accept that. We cannot. So, it is our plea that his case is reopened, re-examined but also that the authorities do their job,” she said.

Nolan’s father, Elmore Wonsley, echoed the call.

“Our son was found on federal land, and we are asking the F.B.I. to step in and do a full investigation. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for what any father would do for his child, and that’s to find the truth of what happened to his child,” he said.

“My message to the F.B.I., please open this investigation and give our son the seriousness he deserves. To every parent listening, call your children today. Tell them you love them. Don’t wait.”

The post Nolan Wells’ family, CBC and Stop AAPI Hate renew calls for federal investigation appeared first on Final Call News.

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered 6,000 pairs of shock gloves this summer, the agency knew that they could cause such “intense pain” that victims stopped fighting immediately and became fearful of more shocks.

That’s according to The Associated Press, which on Oct. 6 revealed the existence of a U.S. Army study on the gloves. ICE put in a $17 million order for the product, known as the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE), in August.

In October 2024, the GLOVE was tested on Army employees at the military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to see if it could be incorporated into their practices to move noncompliant prisoners between cells.

According to the AP: “The shocks had a profound impact on Army employees who played the role of combative prisoners during the exercise… The participants, several of whom were large-statured men, stopped resisting seconds after officers applied shocks by touching gloves to their skin, and were left with “fatigue, soreness and excessive apprehensiveness to being shocked again,” the study found.

After experiencing the effects of the GLOVE,… [“]participants stated just seeing the GLOVE was enough to make them want to comply,” the authors wrote.

The report later noted that unlike a taser, which is designed to cause the body of a noncompliant person to freeze, the GLOVE is meant to elicit pain. It “works by overloading the peripheral nerve endings,” the study said. It also noted that participants with water or oil on their skin experienced more severe shocks and that one was left in pain for 30 minutes afterward.

The full report has not yet been released to the public; however, a four-page memo from the Department of the Army’s Office of the Project Manager for Close Combat Systems summarizing its findings can be found on the website of the GLOVE’s manufacturer, Compliant Technologies.

ICE has described the shock gloves as a tool to “de-escalate” conflicts in the street with targets of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, as well as protesters against the policy—it has said the gloves would be used to subdue those “actively or passively resisting” agents’ commands.

In the wake of several fatal shootings by agents that lacked clear justification, the agency has described the gloves as a “low-impact tool” that will allow agents to avoid escalating to more extreme uses of force.

When politicians have called to restrict access to the gloves, ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), accused them of trying to deprive federal officers of “safety equipment.”

The user manual of the GLOVE notes that the “pain stimulus” it delivers can produce psychological changes associated with sudden death, including increased blood pressure, heart rate, and adrenaline, as well as changes in blood chemistry and heart rhythm. It also notes that those shocked with the gloves could face serious injuries from falling after suddenly losing control of their extremities.

The manual recommends that the gloves not be used against older people, small children, people who are pregnant, and people with certain disabilities.

As Reagan Williams, a researcher at Human Rights Watch’s Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division, noted in August, agency operations have regularly targeted these groups.

“Electric shock devices have long been abusively deployed around the globe, including as a method of torture and other ill-treatment. Given these risks, the European Union has implemented trade restrictions on these devices,” Williams said.

“The scale of this technology’s potential harm in the hands of ICE, an abusive agency whose recruits are deployed with minimal training, could be considerable.”

Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, which provided the report to the AP, noted that while the Army report concluded the gloves were effective, it said little about their safety.

“The military assessment in ICE’s own files shows that these gloves can cause ‘intense pain’ and force compliance. It does not establish that they are safe,” Chukwu said. “Everyone should be alarmed that ICE is preparing to deploy a tool designed to inflict, at best, intense pain, without showing that it is safe for the people who will be subjected to it.”

While tasers can leave severe burns and welts on subjects, the shock gloves being adopted by ICE can deliver a painful shock without leaving a mark, making it much harder to prove their use. For law enforcement agencies, this is one of their most alluring features.

“I highly recommend these gloves to anybody that’s looking for a utility they can use that is conducive to not leading to lawsuits,” said Bob Couey, chief deputy of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, in a promotional video posted by Compliant Technologies in 2024 and resurfaced in August by Mother Jones.

Even a former ICE acting director, John Sandweg, has warned that because the gloves are so easy to use, agents might feel compelled to deploy them haphazardly.

“It’s too easy for this to get misused, against a population that doesn’t pose a threat,” Sandweg, who led the agency for about six months during the Obama administration, told MS NOW in August.

The gloves have drawn substantial criticism from Democratic members of Congress. In late August, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) led a group of 49 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to demand the contract be canceled.

“Introducing low-visibility electric shock weapons into our immigration enforcement system is an unacceptable escalation that prioritizes physical intimidation and unaccountable force over human safety and administrative accountability,” they said in a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

ICE, meanwhile, has been less than forthcoming about what guardrails will govern the use of the shock gloves. In late August, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and 15 other Democratic senators asked the agency to answer questions about how the gloves will be used, who they’ll be used against, and whether it has conducted safety evaluations.

Cortez Masto told the AP that over a month later, the agency has not answered her and her colleagues’ questions.

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And keep your duty to Allah, by Whom you demand one of another (your rights), and (to) the ties of relationship. Surely Allah is ever a Watcher over you.”

—Holy Qur’an, Surah 4, Ayat 1

ATLANTA—Salat-ul-Jumu’ah, the weekly Friday congregational prayer is a special time for Muslims as the ummah (community) gathers for spiritual upliftment and to fellowship with one another. This year’s jumu’ah held during the Holy Day of Atonement weekend, commemorating the 31st anniversary of the historic 1995 Million Man March, was poignant and reflective.

Members of the Nation of Islam from around the country convened at the American Hotel in downtown Atlanta on Oct. 9 to pray shoulder to shoulder with one another and to listen to the khutbah (sermon) delivered by Student National Imam Sultan Rahman Muhammad, who served as the khatib (one who delivers the sermon).

“We as Muslim followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad could never thank Allah (God) enough for His Divine intervention in our affairs in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad,” Student Imam Sultan began as shouts of “Allah-u-Akbar” were heard from those gathered in the prayer hall.

As Muslim followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad we should be thankful to Allah for this intervention, that raised in our midst, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, he shared.

“We thank Allah for His guiding us from a condition of spiritual darkness into the light of guidance that Allah, Most High, established for all of His creation. For He never leaves a people alone without guidance.

Therefore, Allah, Most High, His arm is not short. He has the reach to touch every one of us throughout time— specifically, individually and as a people,” Student Imam Sultan continued.

Allah’s Divine intervention raised the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad to be a perfect example, “and in that example that is a reflection of the establishment of the Nation of Islam…. Yet it is our divine reality—Islam, that we have been turned to,” he continued.

“We can never thank Allah enough for returning us to ‘self.’” During his message, Student Imam Sultan referenced Surah 4, Ayat 1 of the Holy Qur’an, the Islamic book of scripture to explain the importance of individually and collectively making and understanding our journey toward Allah, but also the journey toward self.

The Arabic word “Rabb” one of the Attributes of Allah, is mentioned in this Surah. Student Imam Sultan explained that “Rabb” has several meanings, including, “Lord,” “Nourisher,” “Cherisher” and “Sustainer” and “Evolver.”

Of these meanings, he emphasized “Evolver,” noting that the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan deepens our insight into this Attribute (Rabb) of The Creator, pointing us to the Divine Single Essence of The Evolver, from which Allah (God) is Guiding us to reconcile our differences and return to our origin of self as one human family.

Coming from the womb of our mother we have been “fed” by Allah from this attribute even as He presents us with difficulties once we are born. “The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said that with everything of value there is a difficulty factor,”

And in the Holy Qur’an it states that man was created in struggle, Student Imam Sultan continued. However, the purpose of difficulties we may face is not to run away from them but to face it.

We all have a duty to ourselves and to each other as a community and “duty demands action,” he continued. “Duty demands the ability for us to do what is to be done to keep our ties together.”

The ties of our relationships with one another is key, Student Imam Sultan explained. “If we think we can come up short from our demands that are established through our relationships, Allah says He is ever a watcher over us.”

“So, in the precincts of our home, in the quiet of our own bedroom, in the recesses of our mind, Allah, Most High is ever watching over you,” he explained.

Student Imam Sultan also shared how jumu’ah, means “the gathering” and that the next jumu’ah (Friday, October 16) will mark the date of the Million Man March where Black men came together, at the call of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan “in one of the greatest, largest gatherings in human history.”

“That was a miracle, nothing less!” he said. “Thirty-one years since nearly two million Black men stood shoulder to shoulder on the Mall (in Washington, D.C.).”

It was a peaceful gathering where Black men took a pledge before the world but “more importantly, before Allah,” said Student Imam Sultan. That day was a Holy Day not just for Black Muslims in America, but it was “for all who seek to return to their God.”

The blessing to attend jumu’ah during the weekend commemoration of the Million Man March and Holy Day of Atonement was not lost on Sister Leticia Muhammad, who traveled from Detroit where she is a student in the ministry class of Mosque No. 1.

“Whenever our people have the opportunity to gather for spiritual renewal, it is significant. To be in congregation and to be in communication and prayer with Allah, those two things together are an incredible force.

It’s not just that we’re relating to each other, but we are relating to each other and The God and that is essential for our relationship with Allah and our good relationships with each other,” she said.

—Starla Muhammad, Interim Editor

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On Oct. 16, 1995, nearly two million Black men gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., at the call of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan under the theme, “Atonement, Reconciliation and Responsibility.” Atlanta’s Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and other LOCs across Georgia helped bus thousands to the March.

Before the weekend of events, Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and member of the Nation of Islam’s Shura Executive Council, went on a two-day media and engagement blitz.

He spoke to the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc., on several podcasts and radio shows and to the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. Throughout, his messages was the same point: The time demands Black people to repent and atone to Allah (God) or suffer the consequences of His Judgment now coming down upon America and the world.

Held at the Vicars Community Center on Oct. 8, the Concerned Black Clergy welcomed the Nation of Islam to Atlanta and invited Student Minister Ishmael for a conversation on unity, faith and community.

“This is not a meet and greet. This is a family get together,” Rev. Shanan Jones, president of the Concerned Black Clergy, said. “The Concerned Black Clergy and the Nation of Islam are joined at the hip, and for the 43 years the Concerned Black Clergy has been in existence, the Nation of Islam has been here.”

He called the Million Man March 31 years ago a “majestic day” that lives in his heart.

“During that call, the Minister (Farrakhan) beckoned us to atone —to atone to God and to atone to one another for the disunity, the killing, the mean-spiritedness that spread throughout our community and began to tear us apart,” he said.

Community leader and activist Rev. Timothy Mc Donald shared how Atlanta’s LOC for the Million Man March was one of the strongest in the country. The committee, comprised of several faith leaders, continued meeting years after the march.

“I have never had a spiritual experience, personally, more powerful than the Million Man March,” he said Le Von “Veto” Mc Kee remembers attending the March as a little boy with his father, Lester Mc Kee.

As Student Minister Ishmael spoke of that historic day and the principles it espoused to Black men on the “Vibin with Veto Podcast,” Veto’s father sat in the back of the studio, dabbing his face as he shed a few tears.

Reec Swiney watched the gathering on television at 12 years old. “I was in New Jersey with my father, and I was watching it, and he was like, ‘You’re about to witness something incredible,’” he shared with Student Minister Ishmael on his show, WAMJ Majic 107.5/97.5.

Derrick Boazman of WAOK radio recalled being at a conference learning how to better serve his community during the time of the March. Though he was not physically present, he still recognized the importance of the day and the principles that must continue to be taught in the Black community.

Below is a compilation of sentiments Student Minister Ishmael shared throughout the media and engagement blitz on Oct. 8.

The signs of the time

Student Minister Ishmael emphasized the importance of Black people knowing the signs of the time, sharing that “we’re at the 66th book of the Bible: apocalypse, revelation.”

“The nations are angry, and God’s wrath is come,” he said, quoting the book of Revelation 11:18. “Ukraine is angry. Russia is angry. The United States is angry. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is angry. Iran is angry. China is angry. Japan is angry.

Dissatisfaction and anger all over our planet, but at the same time, God’s Wrath is come.” He pointed to the rain, the wind, the storms, the tornadoes and the earthquakes as examples of God’s Wrath, along with pestilence, famine, war and rumors of war.

He questioned the pastors, “What is our mission? What is our job now, pastors? What is it? It is to be—not talk, but be Jesus’ disciples.”

The 1995 call

Student Minister Ishmael shared how the Million Man March was the first time in history that Black people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., not to demand the government for jobs and justice but to answer a call from God.

Minister Farrakhan’s call 31 years ago was a call from God. “It was a call for atonement, reconciliation and responsibility. It was a call that resonated in our souls. Why did it reach the soul? It went past the ear, past the mind.

But right to the soul…. So only God can call the soul to itself, and God made that call through (the Honorable Minister) Louis Farrakhan,” he said. “We didn’t hear a man’s faith.

We heard his calling us. Calling us to do what? Repent. What was Jesus’ ministry? What was his call to the people? Repent. What was Jesus’ ministry rooted in?

Love. Unity.”

Student Minister Ishmael shared how labels went out the door. “We saw each other that day as God would have us see each other, as brothers,” he said.

“We share a common root, a common struggle, a common heritage and tradition. That’s why we have to find our way to each other again,” he added.

He further shared that if Jesus and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were alive today, they would be walking side by side and that all of the prophets of God would be working together to do the Will of God.

A message to Black youth

Student Minister Ishmael was 10 years old when his father, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, departed in 1975. He shared intimate parts of his life growing up: dealing with expectations and judgments as the son of a great man but also, as a teenager, experimenting with things like drugs and alcohol.

“But at a certain point, I recommitted myself,” he said. Around 15, he made a prayer to Allah (God) that he was going to “go away for a minute” and that he might fall and lose his way, but if he does, he pleaded with Allah, “Please don’t forget me. Reach out and pull me out.”

Once he accepted the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad for himself, he called the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and dedicated himself to helping Minister Farrakhan rebuild the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s work.

Now, as Minister Farrakhan’s National Assistant, he is questioning why the story of the Million Man March hasn’t reached the younger generations of Black people.

“That important, most significant day in our history is not even presented to our young people. Why? Because they don’t want your generation and the generation that’s coming up to really learn and see what it will take for us to dwell together as brothers in unity,” he said on the “Vibin with Veto Podcast.”

He sent a direct message to Black youth on WAOK radio with Derrick Boazman. “To our beautiful young people: The answer has always been God, and what you have to do is establish a relationship with God. And wherever we have failed in our struggle is because we deviated from God,” he said.

“You have to make up your minds that you’re going to follow God, follow His solutions to the many problems, follow the agenda that He’s given to us, and as long as you commit yourself to God, you’re going to gain the victory. You’re going to be successful.”

The continued call to repent, atone and accept responsibility

Student Minister Ishmael talked about the importance of repentance, submission to Allah (God) and atonement. “When Jonah preached the message of repentance and atonement, the king of Nineveh heard. The king all the way down to the little man in the street put on sackcloth and ashes and stayed the hand of God. Nineveh had 40 days to repent, and the king heard,” he said.

He also renewed the call for Black people to take responsibility for themselves and their communities. “It’s our responsibility to teach our children. It’s our responsibility to make our communities a decent and safe place to live. It’s on our shoulders to rebuild the Black community, make it what it should be,” he said.

He urged Black people to harmonize with Allah (God) and with the universe.

“There is no higher vibe, no higher frequency than truth. And the Holy Qur’an tells us that Allah created the heavens and the earth and all in between with truth,” he said.

“God wants to harmonize us. He wants us to be in accord— in accord with nature, in accord with creation, in accord with the creatures and the insects and everything that’s in creation, for He made it for us to master. He put the sun, the moon and the stars and everything under the foot of the human being. But we’re out of alignment.

“Everything is a vibe. Everything is a beat. Everything is rhythm. We’re out of rhythm as a people. We ain’t vibing,” he added. “So, you have to strike the right chord, the right note, and in the right note, we start vibing, and that’s what (the Honorable Minister) Louis Farrakhan did 31 years ago.”

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Three decades later, the historic Million Man March and Holy Day of Atonement still resonates with Black people around the world. This year’s commemoration of that special, miraculous day was held in the city affectionately known as “Black Mecca”—Atlanta, Georgia.

Muslims from around the country convened in the city from October 9-11 for a weekend of reflection, bonding with family and community and continuing the principles of the Million Man March theme of “Atonement, Reconciliation and Responsibility.”

The state of Georgia is also significant for another reason, it is the birthplace of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam.

His son, Student Minister Ishmael R. Muhammad, National Assistant to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, delivered the keynote message from Minister Farrakhan on Sunday, October 11 in front of thousands at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Student Minister Ishmael expressed gratitude to the city of Atlanta for welcoming the Nation of Islam and expressed humility at being tasked with delivering the keynote message.

“Trust me when I say that I am not worthy to speak on behalf of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, but it gives me great pleasure to serve this great man, serve in the cause and serve our people.

And I pray that Allah will guide me to deliver the word with his spirit from his mind, from his heart, to all of us today because we are meeting at a very critical time in world history.

And we’re living in the time of the transition of one world, one civilization, one order of things to a brand new world,” said Student Min. Ishmael Muhammad.

He called Atlanta a great city that takes pride in its legacy of Black excellence and referred to its other moniker, “Black Mecca” due to its foundation in areas of Black entrepreneurship, civil rights and political power. “It is a historic center of Black culture, religion, business and entertainment.”

He went on to name some of the great luminaries that hailed from Atlanta or other parts of Georgia including, his father, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rep. John Lewis, Ray Charles and Jackie Robinson to name just a few.

“So it is fitting, it is proper and right for us to hold this special Holy Day of Service in this great city. And from this city to the Nation and the world that is on the brink of a pit of fire. We honor all those who came from this city and state.”

The keynote message was streamed live via internet and to view it its entirety, visit media.noi.org and to order this message, visit store.finalcall.com. See pages 4 and 5 for more coverage and stay tuned for additional coverage from the 31st Anniversary of the Million Man March and Holy Day of Atonement in an upcoming issue of The Final Call.

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“The Mighty Sparrow was an icon of Trinidad and Tobago, but he was born in Grenada. According to Mightysparrow.com, his family migrated to Trinidad when he was one. In the 1960s, he moved to New York City, where he spent the rest of his life.

“For decades, Mighty Sparrow established himself as a pioneer in modern and traditional calypso music. For multiple decades, he was able to present a range of thought-provoking ideas for Caribbean people to reflect on our state of independence, our oneness as a region, and our unity as CARICOM,”

Said Student Minister Dr. David Muhammad, the Student Trinidadian and Eastern Caribbean Representative for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

Student Minister Muhammad recalled that in 1993, Mighty Sparrow and Calypso Rose (Linda McCartha, Monica Sandy-Lewis) were special guests and performed at the home of the Honorable Minister Farrakhan for his 60th birthday celebration in Chicago.

The Mighty Sparrow was a cultural revolutionary and a profound advocate for unity in the Caribbean. “He brought a lot of consciousness into the culture and was able to share many ideas that we may not, or the general public may not, have been exposed to, were it not through his music as an art form.

One of his most famous recordings, ‘Federation’ was on the collapse of the Federation of the West Indies in 1961, which has actually became an archived historical reference point to students of history, sociology.

And Caribbean studies to have a greater understanding of what happened just prior to the independence of Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica in 1962, and then Barbados and Guyana in 1966,” Student Minister Muhammad recalled.

He reflected on the great loss of this icon, which has affected many calypso fans in the Caribbean, the United States, and especially Trinidad. “A great icon has been lost.

But not just the unfortunate departure of a great individual, but also an inspiration, because his presence was able to give a template of motivation to others coming up in the art form who would have wanted to aspire towards excellence. He was able to demonstrate that,” he said.

Nearly three months ago and prior to his death, Student Min. Muhammad told The Final Call that, as the Chairman of the National Library and Information Systems Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, the family and the curator of the Mighty Sparrow’s collections discussed archiving them at the Port of Spain Library.

“We have to dedicate space and give his works the proper respect that it deserves to be cherished, studied, and archived, for all to see and examine by the fact that we no longer have that fountain to drink from.

I guess it will amplify the value of the archived works that he left behind. All the more reason that we have to properly preserve and protect his collection and make sure that he is properly represented,” Student Min. Muhammad added.

Community activist and RN, LPN Sister Neferti X Larkin fondly recalled childhood memories when she and her family listened to Mighty Sparrow growing up in Trinidad. “As far as I can remember, as a child growing up on the most southerly island of Trinidad in the West Indies, everyone I knew loved or enjoyed listening to the Mighty Sparrow.

We barely knew or remembered his birth name! I suspect that was the same for many Caribbean people. His given name was Slinger Francisco. And we did not care one whit that he was born in Grenada; then his family moved to Trinidad when he was a child. He was ours! We claimed him!” she said.

“My mother especially loved him. When a Mighty Sparrow calypso song was playing, she was one of the first to jump up and dance. He was known as ‘The Calypso King of the World,’ he won several Calypso Monarch titles, and his songs played at Trinidad’s world-famous Carnival Road March,” added Sister Neferti X.

Reminiscing on his social commentary and revolutionary lyrics, Sister Neferti X explained that, traditionally, Mighty Sparrow recounted politics, economics, and social events locally and internationally, as in his song “Jean and Dinah,” about the U.S. military leaving Trinidad after WWII and the economic and social problems that followed.

His 1983 song, “Capitalism Gone Mad,” addressed corruption, exploitation, and poverty. Some of the lyrics he sings in that song included:
“Avariciousness, to be precise

Is why every damn thing, so overpriced

Big business making everybody feel

Government give them an open licence to steal

Would you believe me

One nylon panty, is ninety-ninety

Twenty dollars for some baby milk

The cheapest jersey, cost over sixty

Two hundred and change a yard for silk

It’s hard, here in Trinidad

Lord have mercy

Capitalism gone mad

It’s sad, things getting more bad

Oh lord

Capitalism gone mad”

According to Mightysparrow.com, during his storied career, he “won Trinidad’s Carnival Road March competition eight times, Calypso King/Monarch eight times, and twice earned the Calypso King of Kings designation.

He has toured the world for over half a century, written over 500 songs, and recorded over 70 albums. The late (U.S.) Secretary of State (and Calypso aficionado) Colin Powell called him ‘The Mount Olympus of Calypso.’”

At Final Call presstime, funeral arrangements had been finalized for a private service in New York. There were also plans for a special honor and recognition to be held for Slinger “Mighty Sparrow” Francisco in Trinidad and Tobago. According to Caribbeannationalweekly.com, an official state-assisted funeral was being planned.

Culture and Community Development Minister Michelle Benjamin said a committee has already been established to work with Mighty Sparrow’s family to organize “what she described as ‘a funeral fit for a legend,’” reported Caribbeannationalweekly.com.

She said other plans were also underway to honor his legacy. Minister Benjamin also offered condolences to Grenada, where Mighty Sparrow was born. “We grieve with you for a son we have shared for 90 years,” she said, reported Caribbeannationalweekly.com.

A father of nine, Slinger “Mighty Sparrow” Francisco is survived by his wife, Margaret Skinner, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Final Call staff contributed to this report.

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