THE SHURA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICIENT, THE MERCIFUL. I BEAR WITNESS
THAT THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER

AS-SALAAM ALAIKUM!

June 27, 2026

O soul that are at rest, Return to thy Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing, So enter among My
servants, and enter My Garden!

Holy Quran 89:27-30

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, with deep sadness yet with profound gratitude to Allah, informs you that his beloved wife of 72 years, the First Lady of the Nation of Islam, Mother Khadijah has returned to Allah (may Allah be pleased).

We thank Allah for the precious life of a loving wife, mother, and faithful and devoted follower of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Mother Khadijah will forever be cherished and remembered. May Allah give His unequaled comfort to the family as we mourn this tremendous loss and lift the family in our prayers and thoughts.

Allah, there is no God but He, He gives life and to Him is our eventual return.

Your brother and servant,

Student Minister Ishmael R. Muhammad,
On Behalf of The Executive Council of the Nation of Islam

SERVICES FOR MOTHER KHADIJAH FARRAKHAN

Mother Khadijah Farrakhan will lie in state, Wednesday, July 1 and Thursday, July 2, at Mosque Maryam at The National Center, 7351 S. Stony Island Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60649, from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

The janazah service will be held on Friday, July 3, at Mosque Maryam at 11:00 a.m.

The interment will immediately follow at Oakwood Cemetery, at 1035 E. 67th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637.

The post Statement on Mother Khadijah Farrakhan appeared first on Final Call News.

Nowhere is this tension more visible than at the President’s House site on Independence Mall, where the recent removal of images depicting enslaved Black Africans—including President George Washington’s enslaved chef Hercules and the young freedom seeker Ona Judge—has ignited outrage. 

And on June 18, a federal court intensified that outrage when it ruled that the administration is within its rights to remove and replace the slavery exhibits at the site.

The ruling landed just weeks before July 4th celebrations marking the Semiquincentennial—a moment when Philadelphia expects millions of visitors seeking the story of America’s founding.  Instead, many Black Philadelphians see a story being rewritten in real time.

“It’s something to celebrate the fact that we’ve come this far,” said Diane James, a former social worker from North Philadelphia, “but in terms of doing things for the people who helped build the country, I don’t think we’ve come far enough.”

Her words echo across the city like a drumbeat.

Ms. James remembers visiting the President’s House years ago and seeing the attempt—however limited—to acknowledge the enslaved Black people who lived and labored in Washington’s household.  Seeing those images removed in the lead up to the 250th anniversary struck her as painfully symbolic.

“They cherry-pick the people they want you to see,” she said. “It was always Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall—a few people.  But not all the people who made the inventions that made this country move forward. They didn’t get mentioned at all.”

The court’s ruling only deepened that sense of erasure.

The Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC)—the group that fought for the original exhibit in the early 2000s—expressed disappointment but vowed to continue the legal battle.  Attorney Michael Coard, who heads the coalition, posted that “this definitely is not the end of the fight.”

Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson issued a sharply worded statement, calling the decision “deeply disappointing,” especially during the Juneteenth holiday.

“The President’s House site represents a critical chapter in our nation’s history,” he said. “African American history is American history. … We must not retreat from telling the complete story of who we are as a nation.”

The question hangs in the air: How can America celebrate 250 years of independence while erasing the people it kept unfree and in bondage?

Nation of Islam Delaware Valley Region Student Minister Rodney Muhammad is based in Philadelphia at Mosque No. 12.  He is a student of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of  the Nation of Islam, under the leadership of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

“Too much has happened in the country that Black people have not shared in for collective celebration,” he told The Final Call, noting that some are now questioning whether  to sit out the holiday.  He pointed to Frederick Douglass’s famous message on what the Fourth of July means for Black Americans, called, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?”

“After 250 years, America has the entire human family within her borders,” Student Min. Rodney observed, but he argued that while many who came to the country have advanced, “Black people who were here at her inception have yet to collectively advance” and enjoy fundamental rights and opportunities.  “If anyone should be involved in deep reflection, it should be Black people,” he said.

He cited the recent court decision ordering the removal of the monument to the nation’s past enslavement of Black people, days before the Fourth of July, as evidence of a reluctance “to tell the truth about her history.”

For Brother John Muhammad, a registered member of the Nation of Islam at Mosque No. 35 in Wilmington, Delaware, located 40 miles from Philadelphia—America’s 250th anniversary is not a party—it is a spiritual checkpoint.

“Although America’s celebrating their 250th anniversary,” he said, “for me … that date means a lot because Master Fard Muhammad declared our independence on that day.”

Master Fard Muhammad, The Great Mahdi, Founder of the Nation of Islam and Teacher of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, declared independence for the Black man and woman of America.

“Now, the history of the 4th of July shows that it is the Independence Day of the American White man. They wrote the Declaration of Independence for themselves.

The White man did not put anything in the Declaration of Independence for the benefit of the Black Man, who was the servitude-slave of the White man, at that time,” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote on page 68 of His book, “The Fall of America.”

Brother John Muhammad echoes that clarity.  “I think it is something for White America to celebrate. The Founding Fathers meant well, but at the root of their founding was the disrespect of darker peoples of the world.”

For Black people, he said, the moment of the country’s 250 years demands reflection, not revelry.  “It’s something we should reflect on and have conversations about our role in America as the chosen people of God,” he said.

While the federal government struggles with how—or whether—to include Black stories in the national narrative of commemoration and celebration, Black institutions in Philadelphia are stepping into the void.

At the October Gallery in Germantown, the “Black Philadelphia 250” project is doing what the President’s House failed to do: tell the truth boldly.

Now in its 41st year, the gallery has unveiled a sweeping visual tribute to Black Philadelphians who shaped the city and the nation. The centerpiece is a poster pairing historical ancestors with modern figures, surrounded by portraits of icons like Richard Allen, Rev. Leon Sullivan, Cecil B. Moore, and Dr. Rebecca Cole. Gallery representative Mercer Redcross describes the exhibit as “a celebration, a protest, a remembrance, and a reckoning.”

“I don’t see how you can pull one out,” he said. “Celebration, struggle, and resilience have defined the Black American experience from the beginning.”

On the gallery’s third floor, the “Instagram” wall features 21 portraits—from former President Barack Obama to late U.S. Congressman John Lewis—that many young visitors cannot identify.  For Mr. Redcross, that gap is the very reason the exhibit exists.

“Transform, then transact,” he said. “Education first.  Always.”

Across Philadelphia—where the Founding Fathers drafted and signed both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution—Black residents are wrestling with the meaning of this anniversary.

Duridra Buren, a state worker and artist, sees the milestone as both a challenge and an opportunity. “You can’t tell that story without us,” she said. “We built this country whether we wanted to or not. You didn’t allow us to be anything but underneath your feet.”

She refuses to let the moment pass without joy—but insists joy must be paired with truth.

“I am going to celebrate, but as I celebrate, I am also going to educate,” she said.

Renee Dupre, a financial services professional, sees the anniversary as a chance for visibility.

“Finally, our voice will be heard,” she said. “We are Americans and we should be proud. This is our home.” But she is clear eyed about the nation’s unfinished business. “They owe us to be equal. We are not equal.”

Jeff Hart, a former radio host and television producer, warns against patriotic amnesia. “This should be an educational campaign,” he said. “Not a glossing over of the heartaches that brought us here,” he said.

Mercer Redcross pointed The Final Call toward the manifesto hanging on the gallery wall in the second-floor room designated “The room of Philadelphia Black Genius”—a declaration that reads less like an exhibit label and more like marching orders for a people who refuse to be erased.

It begins with a simple, unflinching truth: A Black centered commemoration cannot be built on myth. It must be built on memory—the memory of those who survived the Middle Passage, who labored without pay, who resisted in fields, churches, courtrooms, and streets.

The manifesto outlines the work ahead:

•           Expose the gap between American ideals and Black reality;

•           Honor the ancestors whose blood fertilized the soil of this nation;

•           Challenge the country to confront the systems still rooted in slavery’s logic.

“This is not bitterness,” the text reads. “It is clarity.”

And, then comes the line that cuts through the patriotic noise of the Semiquincentennial like a blade: “A Black celebration is not a party—it is a statement.”

If America celebrates its independence, then Black America must celebrate its endurance.

Our commemoration, the manifesto insists, must highlight:

•           The brilliance of Black survival against impossible odds;

•           The creation of Black culture, institutions, and intellectual traditions;

•           The ongoing fight for justice, dignity, and self-determination

Mr. Redcross concluded, “While America waves flags, we raise truth.  And in a year when images of enslaved Africans are quietly removed from the President’s House— when the nation tries once again to tidy up its origin story for public display—that truth becomes not just a remembrance, but a responsibility. 

Black Philadelphia is not waiting to be included in America’s 250th anniversary. It is declaring, with the force of history behind it, that there is no America without us.  The question is not whether we will be written into the story.  The question is whether the nation is finally ready to face the story we tell.”

In the book “The Fall of America,” in Chapter 17, titled “Independence,” the Honorable Elijah Muhammad writes, “Now what do we have to celebrate in the fact that the white man is enjoying freedom over us? In celebrating the White man’s independence, we make a fool out of ourselves.  We cannot celebrate his day.”

The post What to the Black community is America’s 250th anniversary? A Philadelphia reflection in a time of erasure, resistance, and rising voices appeared first on Final Call News.

“There is no such thing as living in peace with White Americans. You and I have tried without success,” He wrote in his book, “Message to the Blackman in America,” in a chapter titled, “Separation! Independence!” on page 204.

“Night and day they are seeking a chance to beat and kill you, while at the same time you are out seeking to show them how much you love them,” he added. “A very foolish people you are. How can anyone, other than you (so-called Negroes) love an open enemy?”

Black people’s 471-year sojourn in America has been marked by slavery, suffering, death, and mistreatment at the hands of White people and the U.S. government.  And, as the country prepares to celebrate and commemorate the 250th  anniversary of its founding, it is becoming more evident and clearer that Black and White still cannot coexist in peace.  

Anti-Black incidents

During the first half of 2026, White people have shouted racial slurs at and have attacked Black people who were simply living their lives.

Below is a timeline compilation of just some of those incidents.

Feb. 13: Kenneth K. Smith, a 40-year-old White man in Branson, Missouri, allegedly approached a Black man who was standing outside his own apartment complex, struck him in the face, kicked him multiple times and referred to him as “gorilla.”

“In security footage a male, identified as Kenneth, is seen walking up to Victim 1 and punching him in the face. Victim 1 is seen falling to the ground and remains laying on the ground as Kenneth begins to kick him several times,” the probable cause statement says.

“Victim 1’s arms are seen rigid and sticking straight up as if they are locked into place and he is unable to move them. After kicking him, Kenneth walks away.”

Police believed Mr. Smith had recently moved to the apartment complex and called the attack “unprovoked.” Still, despite a criminal history going back to 2005, Mr. Smith was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, sparking anger that the incident was not charged as a “hate crime.”

Feb. 19: Two White men livestreamed an encounter with a Black woman on a Manhattan, New York, neighborhood street corner. During the encounter, one of the men demanded a kiss.  The woman refused him.

He then used racial slurs and burned her boots with a lighter. The men were charged with harassment, criminal tampering, arson and hate crimes in the form of criminal mischief and menacing and attempted assault, according to The New York Times.

Feb. 27: A Black student at the University of California, Irvine was walking on campus when a group of teenagers allegedly spat at him, shouted racial slurs and hit him with an electric bike, causing injuries to the student’s ankle.  The incident was investigated as a hate crime. 

“They were close enough that they were spitting on me, trying to grab at me, trying to do all sorts of heinous things,” the student, who remained anonymous, said to NBC Los Angeles. “I’m being called ‘monkey,’ ‘blackie,’ completely out of my name.  Obviously, this is stuff I never expected to hear.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations Los Angeles (CAIR-LA) issued a statement condemning the “anti-Black hate crime.”

“This disturbing attack is a reminder that racism and hate continue to endanger African American students and undermine the safety of our campuses.  No student should have to fear being chased, assaulted, and subjected to racial slurs simply for existing in their own community,” Amr Shabaik, CAIR-LA’s legal director, said in the statement.

March 2: As Jama Abdi Said, a Black man from Africa, entered his apartment in Grand Island, Nebraska, Johnathon A. Dimmitt, a 35-year-old White man, allegedly approached him and said, “You f***ing Black guy, you’re dead,” according to local media outlets.

Mr. Dimmitt allegedly pointed an unknown object believed to be a gun at Mr. Said. Mr. Said then ran to a neighbor’s apartment, where Mr. Dimmitt kicked the door in. Mr. Dimmitt was charged with terroristic threats/hate crime, criminal trespass and criminal mischief.

March 10: A Black woman pulled into an Aldi parking lot in Cascade Charter Township in Kent County, Michigan, when a jeep driven by 55-year-old White man Randall Lee Miller cut her off. The man allegedly hurled racial slurs. He was arraigned on hate crime charges.  CAIR-MI welcomed the charges.

“Acts of racism targeting Black Americans are part of a broader pattern of hate that must be addressed with seriousness and accountability,” Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR-MI, said in a statement.

“Standing against anti-Black racism is essential to building a just society. We encourage community leaders and residents alike to speak out against hate in all its forms and support those who are targeted,” he added.

April 3: Danville, Illinois, Alderman Jaleel Jones and two of his cousins were fishing in Paris, Ill., when three White men pulled up in a white pickup truck. The men allegedly hurled racial slurs. 

One pulled out a shotgun, threatened to “blow” Alderman Jones’ head off and discharged multiple rounds. One of the Black men allegedly pulled out a gun he owned legally and shot the armed man three times.

“After the dude tells his brother to come down there and blow our heads off, the dude with the shotgun comes down there and puts it towards me and my other cousin,” Alderman Jones said in an interview with Illinois Public Media.  “Me and my other cousin, we just ran because [we thought] we’re gonna get shot.  And that’s when my cousin had returned fire towards them.”

He recounted that after he and his cousin ran, gunshots went off. The two ran behind some houses and heard the pickup truck rev up. Shortly after, they heard the shotgun go off. 

All three White men were arrested and received hate crime charges. CAIR-Chicago welcomed the charges.

“This incident is a stark reminder that racially motivated violence remains a serious threat in our communities. The explicit anti-Black hatred reportedly expressed before and during the attack underscores the urgent need for accountability and for continued efforts to combat racism in all its forms,” the organization said in a statement.

April 14: A Black woman was delivering mail in a Miami neighborhood when Lourdes Portugues, a 34-year-old White Latina woman, allegedly used a racial slur and sprayed the woman with a water hose. 

Ms. Portugues then reportedly entered her SUV and intentionally sped the vehicle towards the Black woman and repeatedly attempted to hit her. She was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with prejudice.

May 9: Kyle Parrish, a White man, allegedly knocked on the door of a Black veteran, Dr. Otis Lane, in Sumter County, Florida. When Dr. Lane, who is 80 years old, went outside, Mr. Parrish made a remark on how people of his kind were “not wanted here” and punched him in the face. Mr. Parrish was arrested and charged with battery on a person 65 or older.

Dr. Lane shared reflections of the incident, according to the Fox TV station in Orlando, Fla. “Listen, I was born in the South under Jim Crow laws, and I’ve had to deal with racism all my life.  I didn’t get to be Dr. Otis C. Lane by accident.

It was through sweat and tears, and in some cases, I was made to feel degraded as a second-class citizen,” Dr. Lane said. “And I reached this level in my life. The last thing I would think would be a young White man that would come into my development and target me and assault me.”

June 7: Jeffrey Kinzer, a White man, allegedly started yelling the N-word at a Black family during their gathering in Leesburg, Georgia. He left the scene only to return wearing body armor and carrying an AR-15. He opened fire on the Black family. 

One of the Black individuals, a Marine veteran, grabbed his gun and returned fire, wounding Mr. Kinzer.  Mr. Kinzer was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. He was placed on administrative leave as a lead firefighter at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting the investigation. The Black family and their attorney expressed the desire for additional charges.

“We do not understand or agree with the initial decisions made by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to only charge Jeffrey Tyler Kinzer with one count of aggravated assault,” the Law Office of J.B. Collins, P.C. said in a statement. “In addition, we do not understand why Jeffrey Tyler Kinzer received a bond in the amount of $5,000 prior to any of the victims being notified prior to the granting of this bond.”

June 13: A nine-year-old Black boy in Naperville, Illinois, was building a fort when a girl damaged the fort. The boy went to the girl’s residence and knocked on the door. Jeffrey Feigenbaum, a 29-year-old White man, allegedly yelled a racial slur at the boy, pushed him and threw his bike.   He received hate crime charges, along with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct.

The divine solution

These incidents spanning across the first half of 2026 demonstrate that anti-Black hatred and hostility remain present in American society, despite promises of so-called racial progress.

More than half of all hate crimes are committed on the basis of race, ethnicity, or ancestry, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer for hate crime incidents reported between June 2021 and June 2026. Of race-based hate crimes, about 50% are anti-Black.

So, while cookouts, parades, barbeques, and the pomp and circumstance surround the upcoming July 4 “holiday,” and the Semiquincentennial anniversary of America commences, peaceful co-existence between Black and White people is looking more unlikely and improbable.

When talking about race relations in the country, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, used the metaphor of the “natural seed” versus the “transgenic” seed.

“Coexistence between transgenic seed and organic seed is impossible because transgenic seed contaminates and eventually overcomes organic seed. … In other words: The ‘grafted thing’ is disagreeable to live with in peace. There must be separation, for one will absolutely destroy the other,” he said in Part 38 of his 2013 weekly broadcast series, “The Time and What Must be Done.”

“If there is no coexistence between the natural seed and the transgenic (altered) seed, and the altered seed will destroy the natural seed, then the same is also true in our race relations,” he further stated.

“Because race relations will continue to get worse, because the government cannot provide food, clothing, shelter and jobs for us anymore! As we sit around, waiting for somebody else to do this for us.

We are making our former slave masters and their children angrier with us; and they are becoming completely disagreeable to live with in peace! And that is why we must be separated if we don’t want to continue to suffer great loss!”

Separation is a divine solution from Allah (God) Himself. The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad accused the former White slave master of continuing to hold Black people as hostages and prey.

“If White America wanted to free her slaves, she could easily do so,” He wrote in His book, “The Fall of America,” in a chapter titled, “The Fall of America Foretold, Separation is the Answer,” on page 165.

America’s actions show two things, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote: one, “she wishes to cause fear among the so-called Negroes, with a display of many deadly weapons, but Allah is removing the fear”; and two, “she fears to approach her unarmed slave unless she is armed.”

He then advised Black people on what they should be doing at this time, which is “seeking some of this earth on which to live and build an independent nation out of self.” 

“The White master only offers us a job. Allah, God, has come in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, to Whom praises are due forever, to free us,” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote. “The Negro slave must be freed! This is the meaning of the resurrection.”

The post 250 years later, Black and White still cannot coexist in peace appeared first on Final Call News.

—Holy Qur’an 2:210

It is narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah b. Umar that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I found myself one night near the Ka’ba, and I saw a man with wheat complexion amongst the fair−complexioned men that you ever saw.

He had a lock of hair the most beautiful of the locks that you ever saw. He had combed it. Water was trickling out of them. He was leaning on two men, or on the shoulders of two men, and he was circumscribing the Ka’ba. I asked, What is he? It was said: He is al−Masih son of Mary.

—Sahih Muslim 169a

It is in Point No. 12 of “What the Muslims Believe” that the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad boldly declares the following:

“12. WE BELIEVE that Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July 1930; the long-awaited ‘Messiah’ of the Christians and the ‘Mahdi’ of the Muslims. We believe further and lastly that Allah is God and besides HIM there is no god, and He will bring about a universal government of peace wherein we all can live in peace together.”

In addition, He notes within his very important book titled, “The Fall of America,” in chapter 16, Independence Day: “So, it was with the coming of Allah (God) in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad, to Whom praises are due forever, on His coming to us, on the 4th of July 1930.

His presence meant the destruction of the independence of the white race and especially, America over the Black man. Allah (God) visited the Black slave, for he is more in need of help to enjoy freedom of self.”

Prophecy fulfilled

As documented from the above excerpts you have the reason behind the Nation of Islam’s observance of the day, July 4th. We, the Nation of Islam, are not celebrating America’s independence from the British crown, for at that time in 1776, Black men and women were enslaved in America.

No, we are celebrating the founding of the Nation of Islam in America by Allah (God) in Person and the Great Mahdi, Master W. Fard Muhammad. He came to declare the Black people of America independent from White rule and subjugation. This aspect of His coming corresponds to the scriptures concerning the Day of the Lord coming as a thief in the night:

“But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.”

—Matthew 24:23

Master W. Fard Muhammad seized upon a time when the rulers of America were preoccupied with celebrations of their own independence. He caught them off guard due to their celebratory focus; like the thief who comes in the night while the homeowner is asleep and unaware.

When we, the Nation of Islam, celebrate July 4th, 1930, we are not just celebrating the founding of the Nation of Islam in America. We are celebrating the fulfillment of the greatest of all prophecies; the prophecies concerning the Coming of God!

A critical scripture that should be appreciated is Ezekiel 1:1. It states: “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.”—NKJV

Consider how this passage of scripture corresponds to July 4th, 1930.

We gain great spiritual insight into this verse by considering that Ezekiel is a very special and controversial book of the Bible. The Rabbinical leadership of the Jewish community once sought to have this book removed from the Biblical canon.

The 30th year: This verse Ezekiel 1:1 makes a reference to there being a “vision of God” among a people described as captives (i.e. slaves); and that this took place in the 30th year. This corresponds to the 30th year of the 20th Century CE, which is 1930.

The 4th month: This verse makes a reference to the 4th month being the month wherein Ezekiel was among an enslaved people while he has a vision of God’s appearance. I am reminded of how once upon a time when the measurement of years in the Western world was governed by the Julian calendar, the month of July was the 4th month of the year.

This was during the time when the month of April was the first month of the year. Today the passing of years is governed in the Western Hemisphere according to the Gregorian calendar, where July is the 7th month.

This history is the source of the now famous “April Fool’s Day.” For all who resisted the change from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar were called “April’s Fools.”

The 5th day: Ezekiel 1:1 also makes a reference to the “5th day.” In the Eastern Hemisphere the new day begins before it does in the Western Hemisphere. This fact is reflected in time zone differences and is measured in hours.

The Prophet Ezekiel’s vision of God, which provided him with foresight into the future, details God appearing on the 5th day. However, there is a 7-hour time difference between Detroit and Jerusalem, where the Prophet Ezekiel is believed to have had his vision. This means that when it is 12:00 a.m. on July 5th in Jerusalem, Palestine, it is just 5:00 p.m. on July 4th in Detroit, Michigan.

These considerations help us to see that the Coming of Master W. Fard Muhammad on July 4th, 1930, is the fulfillment of what Ezekiel had a vision of according to the Bible in Ezekiel 1:1!

The Best Knower

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah identifies Himself as “The Best Knower.” It is sometimes an expression of Muslims to say “Allahu-Alam” or “Allah Knows Best.” When I think about Master W. Fard Muhammad, my heart is filled with love for Him.

For even though His work in person among us was only three-and-a-half years, He left a wisdom with us that has endured. We see the daily evidence that He brought to us a truth that is in fact a verifiable body of supreme wisdom. Below are just a few examples:

Dietary teachings proven true: The Supreme Wisdom and comprehensive Knowledge of Master W. Fard Muhammad are increasingly being borne witness to as true by an abundance of scientific research.

His dietary Teachings of “How to Eat to Live” that centers as its primary component the eating of only one meal every 24-hours has become quite popular in recent years.

According to an article published by John Hopkins scientist Dr. Mark Mattson, titled: “Intermittent Fasting: What Is It, And How Does It Work?” the one meal a day eating prescription of Master W. Fard Muhammad has many science-backed benefits. Referring to one meal a day as a form of intermittent fasting, Dr. Mattson points out the following:

Research shows fasting for a certain number of hours each day or eating just one meal a couple days a week may have health benefits. Here are some intermittent fasting benefits research has revealed so far:

Thinking and memory: Studies discovered that intermittent fasting boosts working memory in animals and verbal memory in adult humans.

Heart health: Intermittent fasting improved blood pressure and resting heart rates as well as other heart-related measurements

Physical performance: Young men who fasted for 16 hours showed fat loss while maintaining muscle mass. Mice who were fed on alternate days showed better endurance in running.

Type 2 diabetes and obesity: In animal studies, intermittent fasting prevented obesity. And, in six brief studies, obese adult humans lost weight through intermittent fasting.

People with type 2 diabetes may benefit: Most of the available research shows that intermittent fasting can help people lose body weight and lower their levels of fasting glucose, fasting insulin and leptin while reducing insulin resistance, decreasing levels of leptin and increasing levels of adiponectin.

Mother Plane teachings proven true: Master W. Fard Muhammad taught the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and His early followers in Detroit about the existence of the “mother of all planes.”

He is the first to publicly teach, with detail and accuracy, the reality of what was once called UFOs (unidentified flying objects) and has now been re-branded as UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena).

Once dismissed as swamp gas and weather balloons, the U.S. Government has now finally acknowledged the existence of what Master W. Fard Muhammad first introduced to the minds of the Black residents of the neighborhood known as Black Bottom in Detroit in the 1930s!

His knowledge of this reality proves that He is the Best Knower among us and the wisest of all scientists! His revealing to Black people in America what the most powerful men in America were ignorant of corresponds to the Bible’s verse in Matthew 11:25 where it reads:

“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

Original Man teachings proven true: Master W. Fard Muhammad taught the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad that the Black Man and Woman are the Original people of the planet Earth; the first human beings. Now books like Stephen Oppenheimer’s “The Real Eve” that traces the mitochondria; Inheritance of Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA is inherited maternally, meaning it is passed down from mothers to their offspring

This unique inheritance pattern is used in genetic studies and ancestry tracing DNA of global humanity back to the remains of an ancient Black woman in Africa to prove what Master Fard Muhammad taught was true.

We should take note of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s 2013 webcast series, “The Time and What Must Be Done” where he publicized the previously downplayed research of scientists who have researched the origin of the White man.

Minister Farrakhan made known how their research is a scientific vindication of Master W. Fard Muhammad’s Divine Revelation to the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. In part 39, Minister Farrakhan said in part, “Guess what?

The scientists are now agreeing with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad about the time of the White race’s appearance on our planet, and their nature! Oh, so many have mocked and ridiculed Mr. Muhammad’s Teachings about ‘Yakub’; that he said,

‘Allah taught him’ that the White man first appeared 6,000 years ago on an island in the Aegean Sea called Pelan, or ‘Patmos’—but White scientists are now confirming the reality of this event in their history, and this revelation from Allah to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad!

Incredibly, Dr. Jonathon Pritchard estimates that the point in time when the genes of the Asian and European populations were altered was ‘6,600 years ago’—the exact date that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught that Mr. Yakub began his Patmos Island grafting process!”

The Love and Salvation of Master Fard Muhammad

A most important fact about Master W. Fard Muhammad that we should embrace as a people is His great demonstrated love for us. In fact, an argument can be made that the Black man and woman of America received no substantive outpouring of love and concern from neither Africa, Asia, nor the Muslim World before the appearance of Master W. Fard Muhammad.

The purpose for His divine visitation of Black people in America is now being vindicated. His prioritization of our restoration and renewal is also now being vindicated.

For just a few months ago on March 25, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly documented the affirmative vote of 123 nations attesting to the following resolution: “Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity”

The world has now born witness that what happened to Black people in America via the Trans-atlantic Slave Trade is the gravest crime in human existence! This vote means that our suffering is beyond the suffering produced in the Jewish Holocaust.

It means that our suffering is beyond the carnage of World War I and World War II. If what happened to us is the gravest crime in human history; then our suffering represents the problem for which the nations of the Earth have had no response and been powerless to answer.

It is our suffering therefore, that calls forth the divine and holy intervention of Allah (God) on our behalf. As the Bible states in Exodus 3:8-9: “And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

And to bring them up out of that land unto a good land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; … Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.”

We thank Allah for His divine and merciful intervention in our affairs in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad! He said to the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad on September 7, 1933: “I have treasured all my life love for the lost-found nation of Islam … .”

The evidence of His great love for us abounds in many examples. But to me, I find the greatest demonstration of His love for us in the two divine servants that He has prepared to serve as guides and examples for us.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his hadith described a messianic man that he saw in a vision that had a wheat-colored complexion; and that this messianic man would be leaning upon the shoulders of two other men as they circumambulate the Kabah that houses the “Black Stone.”

This hadith, in my humble judgment, symbolized the love of Allah (God) in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, and His placing on the shoulders of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan the weight of a divine mission.

That mission is to resurrect the Black people of America from a place of degradation to a place of divine significance on the world stage; that one day our people would be like the symbolic “Black Stone” attracting the admiration and reverential attention of the nations of the Earth!

All Praise Belongs to Allah! Happy July 4th!

Brother Demetric Muhammad is a Memphis-based author and student minister in the Nation of Islam and a member of the Nation of Islam Research Group. Follow him on X @BrotherDemetric. Read more at www.researchminister.com.

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Beauty. Grace. Style. Dignity. Compassion. Strength. Love.

Mother Khadijah Farrakhan embodied each of those attributes. The beloved wife of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, matriarch of the Farrakhan family and First Lady of the Nation of Islam (N.O.I.), returned to Allah (God) on June 27 at 90 years of age, leaving behind a grateful Nation and family.

Known and loved by many, Mother Khadijah was a humanitarian, teacher, fashion designer and world traveler. She is remembered by the Nation of Islam as a “Mother of the Faithful,” defined, in her words, as: “Being true to your God and being true to your religion.”

Most importantly, Mother Khadijah was a servant of Allah (God) and a student and follower of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam.

On the return of his childhood sweetheart, companion, helper and wife of 72 years, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, expressed in a personal conversation that he is very glad for the life Mother Khadijah gave him, her family and her Nation. Mother Khadijah will give life to the world, he said.

Minister Farrakhan also shared that Allah has him in His grip, and He feels the strength of Allah’s arms around him. He expressed that he is not in pain or grief and though saddened, he is not sorrowful.

In the Nation of Islam’s official statement announcing Mother Khadijah’s return to Allah, Student Minister Ishmael Muhammad, National Assistant to Minister Farrakhan and member of the N.O.I. Shura Executive Council, expressed the following words:

“We thank Allah for the precious life of a loving wife, mother, a faithful, devoted follower of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Mother Khadijah will forever be cherished and remembered.

May Allah give His unequaled comfort to the family as we mourn this tremendous loss and lift the family in our prayers and thoughts. Allah, there is no God but He, He gives life and to Him is our eventual return.”

Mother Khadijah was born Betsy Ross, on November 26, 1935. On September 12, 1953, she married her childhood sweetheart, then known as Louis Eugene Walcott.

Upon hearing the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad for the first time in 1955, Mother Khadijah did not hesitate to accept the message.  “She got up and went to the back and was joining on,” Minister Farrakhan said in Part 7 of his 2013 series, “The Time and What Must be Done.”

“I was still sitting in my chair. I wasn’t quite, y’know, ready. And my uncle came with his beautiful West Indian accent, and he said, ‘Get up, your wife done gone already. Get up!’” From there, Minister Farrakhan and Mother Khadijah joined the Nation together.

“My wife has been with me throughout all of my striving. She knew me in the days of my ignorance, and she knows me in the days of my struggle. She stood by me.

When I decided to rebuild the work of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, she was the first in my family to say, ‘Go on with it. I’m with you,’” Minister Farrakhan shared in a personal video montage during a celebration of his 92nd birth anniversary in May 2025. 

He also shared words on naming his wife, “Khadijah.”

“I would like her to wear the name of the wife of that servant of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, Khadijah. From this day forward, she will be known in this community and any other as Khadijah Farrakhan Muhammad,” he said.

To their beloved union, nine children were born: Sister Betsy Jean, Sister Maria, Sister Donna, Brother Louis Jr. (may Allah be pleased), Brother Joshua (may Allah be pleased), Student Supreme Captain Brother Mustapha, Sister Fatima, Sister Khallada and Brother Abnar.

In helping her husband in his mission to rebuild the N.O.I. and the work of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Mother Khadijah assisted with editing The Final Call newspaper, which was first published in the basement of the couple’s home in Chicago in 1979.  Minister Farrakhan said she was the first National Secretary, and she accounted for every penny!

As a fashion designer, applying the sewing skills she had first cultivated as a child, she created uniforms for Muslim women of the N.O.I., including the special uniforms worn by the M.G.T. Vanguard class. She founded Newel Apparel, which manufactures the official uniforms of the Muslim women, and she has represented the Nation in official delegations on the world stage.

At her 90th birth anniversary in November 2025, her youngest daughter, Sister Khallada Farrakhan, described her mother as having a pure heart of God, a love for humanity and a sense of community, never leaving anyone out and accepting others as family.

Mother Khadijah’s love extended to children. In the early 2000s, she established Mother Khadijah’s Children’s Village, a staple at the annual Saviours’ Day convention, ensuring the children in the N.O.I. have a fun, enjoyable and educational time at Saviours’ Day.

She was a beautiful and wonderful example of womanhood to so many. For Mother’s Day 2006, Mother Khadijah shared answers to questions posed by then-Final Call Managing Editor Dora Muhammad. Here are some of the insights she shared on various topics.

On motherhood: “First, we must understand that each child is an individual that has different wants and needs. We must know, as a mother, that you are a born nurturer of your family. And always keep the principles of Islam as your guide.”

On marriage and what helps sustain her commitment and love of her husband’s mission: “My love and continued love for Allah and His Messenger, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and my love and faith in Islam has helped to sustain me and my support for my husband.”

On women who want to adopt or become single moms because they do not believe they will ever find a suitable mate: “We never give up hope on marriage, for there is someone for everyone. However, if you choose to adopt, remember these words: You are a born nurturer with or without a father in your home. Happy adopting!!!”

As news of her return to Allah was released, heartfelt tributes and sentiments flooded social media and news outlets. “Mother Khadijah was a beautiful and loving Queen who served her family, community and inspired many.

Each time you were in her presence, you felt her love, grace and brilliance. Her contributions to the Minister and the Nation is truly immeasurable. She will be truly missed,” L. Londell McMillan, attorney and owner of The Source, wrote on the outlet’s website.

Mother Khadijah Farrakhan lives on through the example she set for Black women and girls and the lives she transformed. She is remembered for her loyalty to her husband and to her Nation, her unwavering faith in Allah and her loving and kind spirit to the human family. May Allah (God) be pleased with our Mother of the Faithful.

The Final Call will continue to pay tribute to our beloved Mother Khadijah Farrakhan in an upcoming edition.—Anisah Muhammad, Staff Writer

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CHICAGO—The Barack Obama Presidential Center officially opened its doors to the public on Juneteenth (June 19), one day after an invite-only dedication ceremony. The 19.3-acre campus includes a museum, a basketball court, several outdoor spaces and a library.

The June 18 dedication ceremony attracted thousands of people and was attended by former U.S. presidents, politicians and celebrities. It was a star-studded gathering. Dignitaries and guests included former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Common, LL Cool J and many others. All convened on the grounds of the newly constructed landmark.

“It was like medicine for me because the time seems so dark … ,” said legendary comedian Dave Chappelle in an interview with CNN about the June 18 ceremony. “Today was a celebration of culture and community,” he added.

The long-awaited center had been a decade in the making. It was announced in 2015, after the founding of the Obama Foundation in 2014. After years of planning and fundraising, and a year-long federal review of the use of public land, construction began in the Fall of 2021. The project’s cost is estimated at nearly $850 million. It was largely paid for through private donations to the Obama Foundation.

In social media posts, politicians, celebrities, activists and community organizers congratulated the Obamas on the center’s opening.

“Being at the Obama Center opening feels like the Super Bowl for community organizers. So many of us have dedicated our lives to fighting the good fight, block by block, school by school, neighborhood by neighborhood. President Obama inspired a generation of us to believe that hope was not just a feeling, it was a responsibility,” Jahmal Cole, founder and executive director of the Chicago-based nonprofit, “My Block, My Hood, My City,” said in a Facebook post.

“Today feels bigger than a building. It feels like a reminder that Chicago raised a leader who made the whole world believe again. For every organizer, mentor, teacher, coach, block club leader, nonprofit worker, and neighbor who never stopped believing in community, this day is for us too,” he added.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris commended the Obamas on their vision. “To know Barack and Michelle is to understand: They have always believed that leadership is about leaving something behind that empowers others. Today’s opening of the Obama Presidential Center reflects that vision. It will continue to invest in future generations and encourage people to see themselves as part of something bigger,” she said.

Most outdoor areas of the campus, located in Chicago’s South Side, are free and open to the public daily, while the museum requires paid admission.

“President Obama has always understood that progress is built from the ground up, in neighborhoods and communities. This center, rooted on Chicago’s South Side, reflects that,” Martin Luther King III, eldest son of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, said in a Facebook post.

A son of Africa and America

Barack Hussein Obama made history on January 20, 2009, when he was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first Black president of the U.S., and he served a second term after being re-elected on November 6, 2012. His father was a Black man from Kenya, and his mother was a White woman from Kansas.

Born and raised in Hawaii, he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia and found his political grounding in Chicago as a community organizer in his 20s. He attended Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1991. Before entering politics, he spent over a decade teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. From 1997 to 2004, he was an Illinois State Senator, and he served in the U.S. Senate from 2005 to 2008 before running for president.

His wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, is a South Side native. The couple married on October 3, 1992, and welcomed two daughters, Malia and Natasha (Sasha). The Obamas have a rich history in the South Side.

Mrs. Obama presented a heartfelt speech to her husband, leaving many, including Mr. Obama, wiping away tears. “Barack, you gotta look at me. I love that. You told me all those years ago that you couldn’t promise me the world, but you could promise me an interesting life. And of course, you outdid yourself and managed to give me both. I know it hasn’t always been easy, but there hasn’t been a single second through this experience that standing by your side hasn’t left me in awe. Eight years in The Crucible and not once did you melt from the heat. Not once did you let it harden you. Instead, you used it to reveal your truest essence, your stubborn optimism and unflinching courage, your dazzling brilliance and unpretentious decency, your ferocious work ethic and absolutely unshakable moral fiber,” she said.

“The Obama Presidential Center was created as a beacon of hope, a monument to our unshakable values. The ones my husband has exemplified his entire life: equality, empathy, honesty, inclusion, and fairness. Especially during these anxious and divisive times, it is so important that we remember that those values are not unique to my husband,” Mrs. Obama said.

During his remarks, Mr. Obama also showered love to his family. “To Michelle. …. All right. She did me wrong. She wouldn’t let me see her speech. She knew she was going to mess me up. And she did it anyway. But she’s always made me better. And I could not be more grateful.

“And … to Sasha and Malia, what can I say? You mean everything to me,” he said.

Mr. Obama also shared some of his and his wife’s vision for the center. “We wanted it to be a vibrant, living celebration of community where we can learn together and share the joys of art and music and sport and play. Because it’s in those moments that we’re reminded of our common humanity and strengthen the bonds of trust that not only make our lives richer, but make our democracy stronger. And we also wanted this center to be a celebration of the extraordinary public servants, many of whom are here today, that made this journey possible,” said Mr. Obama.

Now, the couple is on a mission to give back to their community. The campus is designed to be a space for learning, cultural programming and community amenities. The Obama Foundation chose Juneteenth to open the Obama Presidential Center as a powerful symbol of the ongoing struggle for equality, civil rights, and community empowerment.

“What struck me most is that this isn’t simply a presidential library. Built on the South Side of Chicago, where Barack and Michelle Obama’s story is so deeply rooted, it feels like a living, breathing interactive cultural gathering place, a space where people can learn, participate, advocate, bring their children, enjoy art, share a meal, have conversations, and be inspired to SERVE,” actress and activist Holly Robinson Peete said in a Facebook post.

“Walking through it all, I kept thinking about HOPE … not as a slogan, but as a practice. Service. Community. Empathy. Integrity. So many themes it feels we’ve lost sight of,” she added. “And for this opening to take place on #Juneteenth added another layer of meaning. A day that commemorates freedom, resilience, and unfinished work felt like the perfect moment to celebrate a place dedicated to civic engagement and the promise of what is possible.”

Excitement, concerns and the future

The center has not been without a few concerns. In its early days of construction in 2021 and 2022, The Final Call reported on community concerns about gentrification and displacement. Black South Side residents expressed concerns about possible rising rents and increasing property taxes.

All of those concerns have not been dispelled. A recent University of Chicago research paper examined how “large-scale investments” in Chicago lead to an increase in land values that “ultimately intensify the rent burdens and displacement pressures for low-income, predominantly Black residents.” It found that after the announcement of the Obama Presidential Center, “the median sale price of single-family homes” in Woodlawn “jumped from $72,500 in 2016 to $330,000 in 2025.” The center is situated in the historic Jackson Park, at the intersection of the Woodlawn, Hyde Park, and South Shore neighborhoods, and is specifically located at 6001 S. Stony Island Avenue in the Woodlawn community.

In several news outlets, South Side residents expressed both excitement at the center’s opening and their lingering concerns about displacement. However, the Obama Foundation has vowed to support initiatives related to job opportunities, workforce development and affordable housing. 

Here are some of the campus offerings:

· Museum – The four-floor museum includes a full-size replica of President Obama’s oval office and a “Sky Room” offering panoramic views.

· The Forum – A community and civic space that includes an atrium, auditorium, “Democracy in Action” lab, media suite, restaurant and cafe

· Home Court – A 60,000-square-foot athletic and events space

· Outdoor spaces – John Lewis Plaza, Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, a playground, a 58,000-square-foot lawn, gardens, walking trails, courtyards and an apiary with one beehive

· Chicago Public Library, Obama Presidential Center Branch

· Art – More than 28 art installations by 30 artists

The fruit and vegetable garden was designed by Mrs. Obama. The campus also includes a recording studio, a picnic area and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library. The center is not a presidential library and does not include a physical archive or traditional library for presidential papers. Mr. Obama’s archives, which are mostly digital, are being stored in Washington, D.C.

The Obama Foundation and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) agreed to digitize his presidential records rather than build a massive physical repository

During its sold-out opening weekend, June 19-21, the campus featured 15-minute tour experiences, performances on the plaza, interactive and hands-on art workshops, a garden program, appearances by the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Stars FC, and Chicago White Sox, and a Sunday Father’s Day Walk.

A diamond on the South Side

Della Hill, who traveled from Detroit, stated, “The Obamas have been such an inspiration for me coming of age; they are great global citizens. I found that it is really important to be amongst the community and celebrate Juneteenth at the Obama Presidential Center.”

Jackie Brooks, who traveled by charter bus from Galveston, Texas, stated, “We are here to support normalcy in the United States, and I could not miss this grand opening. Michelle Obama’s speech was heartwarming, and everyone should come visit this center. I am so happy to be here.”

Nahla Muhammad is a Chicago entrepreneur and owner of Let’s Eat To Live restaurant, located less than 10 minutes from the Obama Presidential Center. Ms. Muhammad attended the dedication ceremony on June 18. “The center and the ceremony were historical as well as eventful. There were many great performances, and the beautiful part was Michelle Obama’s speech about her husband. This center will bring business to the entire corridor of this area, which is a great benefit,” she said.

Longtime Chicago resident and activist La’Keisha Gray-Sewell shared her thoughts on social media about attending the grand opening reception of the Obama Presidential Center. “Witnessing the labor and construction, the community tension and celebration that has been brewing for years to now finally standing in the building and on the campus is to reconcile everything Black in America is … The Souls of Black Folk. One undeniable truth … Black folk will gift the world timeless treasures and creative brilliance; all from our pain. Diamonds,” she posted.

“And that is what the Obama Presidential Center signifies. A diamond pressed out of the experience of the First Black family to lead the world as the First Family of America, because a Black man became the Chief Executive Officer, the President of the United States of America.

“All that power, excellence, fortitude, perseverance, agility, and compassion that was planted, nurtured, cultivated on the South Side of Chicago stands for generations to experience. And all the inspiration and hope that comes with it. It’s an undeniable truth. A feeling that won’t be suppressed. I witnessed history. I’m standing in history. Black Chicago, WE ARE MAKING HISTORY everyday. This is our moment. Nothing but ourselves can defeat us.”

For more information, visit www.obama.org.
Final Call staff contributed to this report.

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According to a news release, civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and Attorney Van Turner of Turner Feild, PLLC have been retained by the child’s family.

“A one-year-old child is dead because police officers in Mississippi opened fire on a car in a crowded Walmart parking lot. Kohen Wiley was a baby. His mother, who has not been charged with any crime, says she was trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car.

They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent one-year-old. We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him,” said Atty. Crump in a press statement.

According to WAPT News, the Senatobia Police Department officer, whose name has not yet been released, has been placed on administrative leave. The Senatobia Board of Aldermen made the announcement during a meeting on June 16 as demonstrators marched through downtown Senatobia to the parking lot where the shooting occurred.

Senatobia is in northwestern Mississippi, about 35 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. Senatobia is the county seat of Tate County, with a population of about 8,500.  According to 2020 Census statistics, Senatobia’s population is 53.7% White and 40.3% Black.

“I’m just at a loss for words, to be honest. Somebody needs to be held accountable for it,” said Carlos Haynes, Kohen’s grandfather, according to WREG TV.  He described his grandson as a happy baby and said he was looking forward to watching him grow. “Someone ended it all before it could even start,” said Mr. Haynes.

Demonstrators gathered outside the store after a rally at Senatobia City Hall on June 16.

WAPT reported that law enforcement deployed tear gas to disperse protesters.

“Transparency is not optional when a child has lost his life. Every day that passes without the release of this footage deepens public distrust and prolongs the pain of a family searching for truth,” posted Indivisible Memphis online. 

The grassroots coalition called on people to email or call Senatobia elected officials and demand full transparency throughout the investigation, accountability for everyone involved, and justice for Kohen and his family.

According to law enforcement claims, officers responded to a shoplifting call at Walmart on U.S. 51, at around 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and “encountered two subjects and a juvenile child fleeing from the store into a vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. 

An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene.  The subjects arrived at a local hospital where one juvenile child in the vehicle was pronounced deceased, and another subject had critical injuries.  No law enforcement officers received any serious physical injury.”

The shooting reportedly involved officers with the Senatobia Police Department and deputies with the Tate County Sheriff’s Office, noted ABC-24, a local Memphis affiliate. According to reports by the Mississippi Free Press, members of Kohen Wiley’s family have denied that any shoplifting took place.

In a video posted June 17 by ABC-24, Vellesiya Wiley, Kohen’s mother, said she, her son, and a friend were leaving the store.  “As we was leaving out the Walmart, they tried to stop her (the friend), but I kept walking because it had nothing to do with me. By the time me and my baby got in the car she came.”  

She added, “I raised my baby up because they were drawing their guns. She has no tint (on the windows). I raised my baby up trying to show them that he was in the car and she was backing up and she hit a car as I was opening the door.

So, the door flew back. By the time I set my baby down there was like three to four shots. One of the shots hit him in his ribcage and the other shots hit her in her arm and her thigh. And we left and went to Senatobia Hospital, where he was pronounced dead,” she said of her son.   

Patrick “Lumumba” Alexander of the Black Liberation Movement argued that Senatobia Police Department officers didn’t just see a woman and child—they saw a Black woman and Black child, which in his opinion, is why they fired multiple times on the vehicle.

Photos circulating across various news outlets and social media show a bullet hole on the passenger side of the windshield of the grey sedan, and the front passenger window is shattered. There were also some photos that appeared to show multiple bullet holes.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said it is gathering evidence and will share findings with the Attorney General’s Office once the investigation is complete. According to the Department of Public Safety, officers witnessed the baby’s presence before the individuals entered the vehicle and before the officer fired into the sedan. 

One witness told WREG TV’s, “Then I hear gunshots and I’m like, ‘I know they’re not shooting at a car that’s leaving—this is Walmart.’” A separate witness said he heard two gunshots and that law enforcement was already waiting in the parking lot as two women exited with one box of diapers, one holding baby Kohen.

“Senatobia Police Department get away with too much stuff,” said Carolyn Stokes, Kohen’s great-grandmother, according to WREG TV. “It’s just too much.”

ABC 24 reported that Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said an independent investigation would be ongoing and that police footage would be made available once it was completed. He called on the public to maintain patience, acknowledging, “I know this is a very frustrating time.”

Brother Abdul Shahid Muhammad, Student Coordinator for the Nation of Islam’s Study Group in Holly Springs, Mississippi, questioned how a shoplifting call escalates to deadly force. He is also a 32-year law enforcement veteran. Shoplifting is a simple misdemeanor, he explained. So, something very serious would have to occur to justify deadly force, he pointed out.

“You know a child is in the car. You saw that. And, you mean to tell me that they fired at the car anyway?! It’s very tragic, but unfortunately, it’s quite commonplace, particularly down in the Delta,” he said, referring to some southern states. There has always been in Mississippi an indifference where the lives of Black people are concerned, Student Coordinator Shahid Muhammad noted.

Longtime Mississippi community organizer Marquell Bridges described swift, disciplined action following the shooting. “We shut down Walmart for the day, which shows real Black power by the community coming together and saying you won’t just go on as business as usual as you kill a one-year-old Black baby, Kohen Kartier Wiley,” he told The Final Call.

He demanded that the officer be “fired, charged, arrested, indicted, and convicted,” and called for the police chief to resign.

Attorney Turner said the family has many questions. “We want to see the body cam footage from the officers,” Atty, Turner said, reported ABC-24. “We also want to see the footage from Walmart, and the family is just wondering why the officer dispatched his service gun, knowing that there was a child in the car.”

—Charlene Muhammad, National Correspondent

The post Fatal police shooting of one year old sparks anger, protests in Mississippi appeared first on Final Call News.

“She was like, ‘Mom, I haven’t spoken to Derek,’ and I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’” his mother, Nishae Samuel, said to 11Alive, Atlanta’s NBC affiliate.  She said her son had gone to the store with friends but stayed behind after the group separated, 11Alive reported.

Derek Samuel disappeared after leaving a Target store in East Point, Georgia, on April 29.  His family filed a missing person’s report on April 30.  Human remains later found in a wooded area behind an apartment complex were believed by police and family members to be Derek Samuel’s.

Despite being missing for an entire month, Mr. Samuel’s story did not reach national media outlets. 

Research shows that when a young White woman or girl goes missing, she receives massive news coverage and broad public attention. But when the skin color and/or gender change, a different picture is painted.

More than 560,000 people were reported missing in 2023, according to the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc.  Black people make up 13% of the U.S. population but account for nearly 40% of all missing persons.

“Thousands of people are reported missing every year in the U.S.  And while not every case will get widespread media attention, the coverage of White” and non-White victims “is far from proportionate,” the foundation says on a webpage displaying the numbers.

In recent years, more attention has been on missing and murdered Black women and girls, highlighting racial disparities between media coverage and law enforcement search efforts for White women versus Black women. But Black men are often another forgotten population.

“Not only are missing Blacks and missing men less likely at the outset to garner media coverage than other types of missing persons, but they also receive a lower intensity of coverage when their stories are, in fact, picked up by news outlets,” Zach Sommers.

A law professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, wrote in an article analyzing race and gender disparities in online news coverage of missing persons, published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology in spring 2016.

His research focused on race, perceptions and media coverage of crime. “Women and girls are more readily accepted as victims that need saving, and White women and girls in particular are more easily seen as ‘universal’ victims with whom all viewers and readers can identify,” he wrote.

He noted that discussions about “Missing White Woman Syndrome”—the term describing the disproportionate media attention missing White women receive—often overlook men and boys, and his findings indicated that missing men, especially Black men, receive substantially less attention than White women and girls.

In Georgia alone, several Black men have gone missing from January 2025 to May 2026 with relatively little sustained media coverage.

Christopher McKoy, 34, was last seen in the Norcross, Georgia, area of metro Atlanta on January 7, 2025.  He had been driving for a rideshare service and had crashed his car on the day he disappeared, 11Alive reported. Police only found his car.

A review of online news coverage found only a handful of stories from Atlanta-area outlets, including Fox 5 Atlanta, 11Alive and WSB-TV, Atlanta’s ABC affiliate, published between Jan. 14 and Jan. 29, 2025.

Mr. McKoy’s parents, Bernard and Jackie McKoy, have posted on Facebook several times since their son’s disappearance, reminding the public that the family is still searching. His mother’s last post, dated January 16 of this year, simply said, “Still missing!”

In another case, Timothy McSears, 65, was last seen at his home in LaFayette, Georgia, in Walker County, on March 6, 2025.  A review of online news coverage found a few stories from local outlets in 2025 and a few more in March 2026, marking one year since his disappearance. The Walker County Sheriff’s Office has classified the case as a large-scale and ongoing investigation, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Gregory McNeal, 56, has been missing since September 16, 2025. He was staying at a hotel in Richmond Hill, Georgia, near Savannah, for work. Footage from a Ring doorbell camera showed him running through a backyard with apparent injuries to his face. A review of online news coverage found six news stories from local outlets published in September, October and November. 

His family is still searching for him, with a recent social media post by a family member dated March 16.

A fourth and more recent case involves 25-year-old Malik Polk out of Coweta County, Georgia, in metro Atlanta. He was last heard from on May 17, and his family filed a missing persons report on May 19.  Authorities found his vehicle abandoned.

Damon K. Jones, a 33-year law enforcement veteran, community advocate and publisher of Black Westchester Magazine, cited the first 48 hours as a critical window in missing persons cases.

“That’s a proven investigative timeframe with any crime. My wife is a detective … and she deals with a lot of the youth, missing youth in Mount Vernon, New York.  So, you have that time that you want to get them as fast as possible,” he said to The Final Call.

“A mother knows when her child is not doing what they’re supposed to do, and a mother knows if the actions of a child, if a child is not home at a certain time, something’s wrong. What does the law tell them? They got to wait 24 hours,” he added. “So, now, when you’ve got the 48-hour window of investigation, you’re already behind 24 hours.”

Dr. Michelle Jeanis, criminology professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Dr. Bryanna Fox, former FBI agent and criminology professor at the University of South Florida, collaborated on a project to determine how social media, traditional media and law enforcement’s techniques help bring missing people home safely and sooner.

They studied how many media reports were written about each person listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database, how many words were written about each person and how long it took to find the person, alive or dead, or if they were found at all.

They found that women received nearly 12 times more media coverage, on average, than male victims, and White victims received nearly three times as much total media attention than non-White victims, as well as higher word counts within articles, ABC News reported.

In Malik Polk’s case, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office posted about his missing status on social media on May 22, three days after the missing person’s report was filed. A review of online news coverage found five stories about Mr. Polk’s disappearance, though four were not published until May 27 or later, roughly one week after he was reported missing.

What happened to Derek Samuel?

Questions surrounding media attention and law enforcement response also persist in cases where missing Black men are later found dead.

Two missing Black men were found dead and received limited follow-up media coverage—Tremaine Moore, 41, whose body was found in the Savannah River on Nov. 20, 2025, one week after he was last seen;

And Kenny Darnell Jackson, 21, from Acworth, Georgia, who was last seen on Nov. 19, reported missing on Nov. 21 and whose remains were found in a wooded nature area and later identified in December.

Then, there’s the case of Derek Samuel.

The Target he was seen leaving is in Camp Creek Marketplace, off Commerce Drive in East Point, in metro Atlanta. According to his mother, surveillance video showed him walking out of Target and heading down the sidewalk toward Commerce Drive, 11Alive reported. Going north, Commerce Drive quickly turns into Redwine Road, where his phone had last pinged.

“He walked through, came out of Target, walked down the sidewalk and down towards Commerce Road and that was it,” his mother, Nishae Samuel, said to 11Alive.

Human remains were found on May 31 behind the Reserve at Redwine apartment complex on Redwine Road, after a month of searching for Mr. Samuel. The apartment complex is about half a mile away from Target.

East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan said during a June 3 news conference that Mr. Samuel walked into the gated apartment complex behind a vehicle. “The cellphone records showed triangulation in the woods behind the apartment complex,” the police chief said. 

Police searched the woods on May 16 but did not find anything. They returned to the woods on May 31 and found human remains after three hours of searching. They found additional human remains on June 1, along with Mr. Samuel’s cellphone, a handgun and a shell casing. Police strongly believed the remains were Mr. Samuel’s, but had not yet identified the young man.

“Based on facts of the case, at this point, we do not suspect any foul play,” Police Chief Buchanan said.

There were several delays in the search for Mr. Samuel, as reporters noted at the news conference. The family filed the missing person’s report on April 30, but police did not issue an alert about Mr. Samuel until May 11. The first search in the wooded area where the cellphone pinged was conducted on May 16, more than two weeks after Mr. Samuel’s disappearance. 

The reporters questioned: Why did it take nearly two weeks to issue a public alert, and why was the area where his phone last pinged not searched immediately? Reporters also brought up the family’s disbelief that Mr. Samuel would have harmed himself.

East Point Detective Lieutenant Rick Michaud and the police chief responded that police had to wait until the weather was conducive to do the search, that it was very difficult to locate Mr. Samuel due to the area being heavily dense with vegetation, that there was a delay after issuing a search warrant for the cellphone and that police received a lot of erroneous tips and information.

Police Chief Buchanan said they could not release any further information and did not disclose whether Mr. Samuel was shot. He said police had not ruled out suicide. 

While Mr. Samuel’s case has received far more news coverage than the other Black men mentioned, aside from widespread social media coverage, his story has mostly circulated among local news outlets based in Atlanta. Advocacy groups like the Black and Missing Foundation argue that delays in media coverage can limit public awareness and slow search efforts. 

Black people make up about one-third of metro Atlanta. Atlanta and many of the surrounding cities and counties are run by Black mayors and Black city councils. When it comes to the issue of missing Black people, Mr. Jones believes Black elected officials could and must also do more.

“The justice system still does not see value in Black life. We have yet to force it, even in communities that are run by Black faces,” he said in part. 

More than a month after Derek Samuel disappeared, his family was still searching for answers. The families of Christopher McKoy and Timothy McSears have been searching for more than a year. When someone’s son, brother or father disappears with little attention from law enforcement, what can be done?

Mr. Jones urged Black families with missing loved ones to organize and speak out under a collective voice. “Families need to be voices.  In the Atlanta area, they need to come together as a voice and as a voting bloc,” he said.  Politicians understand votes, he argued. 

“They don’t understand pain. They don’t understand when a family is grieving. They don’t understand that. They only understand it when it affects their vote, and we have to start having that conversation, because too many families are hurting out here.”

The post A forgotten population Missing Black men receive limited media coverage and law enforcement response appeared first on Final Call News.

Several workshop classes were conducted. We could not thank Pastor Donald Sellers of South Park Church enough for his overwhelming support. Follow-up sessions are scheduled for areas such as conflict mediation and community accountability events.

Student Minister James Muhammad also attended a Sunday service at South Park Church and was given the opportunity to speak to the entire congregation and shared words of appreciation and unity.
—Submitted by Student Protocol Director Walter Umrani Muhammad

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The event was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Working cheerfully was the aim of the brothers, and the love was reciprocated from our people at the gathering. —Submitted by Eugene 2X 

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