MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN, “MILLION MAN MARCH” (16 OCTOBER 1995)

[1] In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. We thank Him for His prophets, and the scriptures which they brought. We thank Him for Moses and the Torah. We thank Him for Jesus and the Gospel. We thank Him for Muhammad and the Koran. Peace be upon these worthy servants of Allah.

[2] I am so grateful to Allah for His intervention in our affairs in the person of Master Farad Muhammad the Great Madi, who came among us and raised from among us a divine leader, teacher and guide, his messenger to us, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. I greet all of you, my dear and wonderful brothers, with the greeting words of peace. We say it in the Arabic language, Al Salaam Alaykun. [audience responds: “Oo Alayk al salaam”]

[3] I would like to thank all of those known and unknown persons who worked to make this day of atonement and reconciliation a reality. My thanks and my extreme gratitude to the Reverend Benjamin Chavis and to all of the members of the national organizing committees.

[4] To all of the local organizing committees, to Dr. Dorothy Height and the National Council of Negro Women, and all of the sisters who were involved in the planning of the Million Man March. Of course, if I named all those persons whom I know helped to make this event a reality, it would take a tremendous amount of time. But suffice it to say that we are grateful to all who made this day possible. We are grateful to those who put up the sound and the screens. We are grateful to all of the technical people who have made this possible.

[5] To all of the security personnel. My heartfelt thanks to Mr. Robert Johnson, the C.E.O of BET, for having the Reverend Chavis, Dr. Cornel West, and myself with Bev Smith on Our Voices to help inform our people of the purpose for the Million Man March and for taking out a full page endorsing the march in the USA Today newspaper. We thank all of the Black newspapers, radio stations, commentators, disc jockeys who really talked up the Million Man March. The mass media did not get involved until the last minute and it seemed as though they got involved with another agenda in mind. But to all of you, and we thank you the mass media too, because even though you planned it for mischief, God planned it for good. So, we thank you very much for helping to make this day successful. And to all who participated in the program and who helped to formulate the program. To all the singers, the dancers, the performers, the speakers. To all of the celebrities, to the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to all of the religious leaders who are present, to all of the state legislators. To everyone that made this day possible, words are inadequate to express our heartfelt thanks. But really, in truth, all thanks, all praise, all honor, all glory, belongs to God. For this is the day that the Lord has made, so we are here rejoicing in this day. Certainly, to all of the members of the Nation of Islam, to all of the Ministers, Captains, Secretaries, and Sister Captains. To all of the foot soldiers who worked to raise money, that this day could be produced and hopefully all of our vendors be paid. It is not adequate to express our deep sense of personal gratitude so all I can say is thanks, thanks, thanks. Thank you. Now, where are we gathered?

[6] We’re standing at the steps of the United States Capitol. I’m looking at the Washington Monument and beyond it to the Lincoln Memorial. And, beyond that, to the left, to your right, the Jefferson Memorial. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of these United States and he was the man who allegedly freed us.

[7] Abraham Lincoln saw in his day, what President Clinton sees in this day. He saw the great divide between Black and White. Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton see what the Kerner Commission saw 30 years ago when they said that this nation was moving toward two Americas–one Black, one White, separate and unequal. And the Kerner Commission revisited their findings 25 years later and saw that America was worse today than it was in the time of Martin Luther King, Jr. There’s still two Americas, one Black, one White, separate and unequal.

[8] Abraham Lincoln, when he saw this great divide, he pondered a solution of separation. Abraham Lincoln said he never was in favor of our being jurors or having equal status with the Whites of this nation. Abraham Lincoln said that if there were to be a superior or inferior, he would rather the superior position be assigned to the White race.

[9] There, in the middle of this mall is the Washington Monument, 555 feet high. But if we put a 1 in front of that 555 feet, we get 1555, the year that our first fathers landed on the shores of Jamestown, Virginia as slaves. In the background is the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorial, each one of these monuments is 19 feet high.

[10] Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president. Thomas Jefferson, the third president, and 16 and 3 make 19 again. What is so deep about this number 19? Why are we standing on the Capitol steps today? That number 19! When you have a nine, you have a womb that is pregnant. And when you have a one standing by the nine, it means that there’s something secret that has to be unfolded.

[11] Right here on this mall where we are standing, according to books written on Washington, D.C., slaves used to be brought right here on this mall in chains to be sold up and down the eastern seaboard.

[12] Right along this mall, going over to the White House, our fathers were sold into slavery. But, George Washington, the first president of the United States, said he feared that before too many years passed over his head, this slave would prove to become a most troublesome species of property.

[13] Thomas Jefferson said he trembled for this country when he reflected that God was just and that His justice could not sleep forever.

[14] Well, the day that these presidents feared has now come to pass, for on this mall, here we stand in the capital of America, and the layout of this great city, laid out by a Black man, Benjamin Banneker. This is all placed and based in a secret Masonic ritual. And at the core of the secret of that ritual is the Black man. Not far from here is the White House.

[15] And the first president of this land, George Washington, who was a grand master of the Masonic order, laid the foundation, the cornerstone of this capitol building where we stand. George was a slave owner. George was a slave owner. Now, the President spoke today and he wanted to heal the great divide. But I respectfully suggest to the President, you did not dig deep enough at the malady that divides Black and White in order to affect a solution to the problem. And so, today, we have to deal with the root so that perhaps a healing can take place.

[16] Now, this obelisk at the Washington Monument is Egyptian and this whole layout is reminiscent of our great historic past, Egypt. And, if you look at the original Seal of the United States, published by the Department of State in 1909. Gaylord Hunt wrote that late in the afternoon of July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress resolved that Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Mr. John Adams, and Mr. Thomas Jefferson be a committee to prepare a device for a Seal of the United States of America.

[17] In the design proposed by the first committee, the face of the Seal was a coat of arms measured in six quarters. That number is significant: six quarters, with emblems representing England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany and Holland, the countries from which the new nation had been peopled. The eye of providence in a radiant triangle and the motto, “E Pluribus Unum” were also proposed for the face of the Seal. Even though the country was populated by so-called Indians and Black slaves were brought to build the country, the official Seal of the country was never designed to reflect our presence, only that of the European immigrants.

[18] The Seal and the Constitution reflect the thinking of the founding fathers, that this was to be a nation by White people and for White people. Native Americans, Blacks, and all other non-White people were to be the burden bearers for the real citizens of this nation.

[19] For the back of the Seal, the committee suggested a picture of Pharaoh sitting in an open chariot with a crown on his head and a sword in his hand, passing through the divided waters of the Red Sea, in pursuit of the Israelites. And, hovering over the sea was to be shown a pillar of fire in a cloud, expressive of the divine presence and command.

[20] And rays from this pillar of fire were to be shown, beaming down on Moses standing on the shore, extending his hand over the sea, causing it to overwhelm Pharaoh. The motto for the reverse was “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.” Let me say it again. Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Now, why did they mention Pharaoh? I heard the President say today “E Pluribus Unum”–out of many, one.

[21] But in the past, out of many comes one meant out of many Europeans come one people. The question today is, out of the many Asians, the many Arabs, the many Native Americans, the many Blacks, the many people of color who populate this country, do you mean for them to be made into the one?

[22] If so, truth has to be spoken to justice. We can’t cover things up, cover them over, give it a pretty sound to make people feel good. We have to go to the root of the problem. Now, why have you come today?

[23] You came not at the call of Louis Farrakhan, but you have gathered here at the call of God. For it is only the call of Almighty God, no matter through whom that call came, that could generate this kind of outpouring. God called us here to this place, at this time, for a very specific reason.

[24] And now, I want to say, my brothers, this is a very pregnant moment, pregnant with the possibility of tremendous change in our status in America and in the world. Although the call was made through me, many have tried to distance the beauty of this idea from the person through whom the idea and the call was made.

[25] Some have done it mistakenly. And others have done it in a malicious and vicious manner. Brothers and sisters, there is no human being through whom God brings an idea that history doesn’t marry the idea with that human being no matter what defect was in that human being’s character.

[26] You can’t separate Newton from the law that Newton discovered, nor can you separate Einstein from the theory of relativity. It would be silly to try to separate Moses from the Torah or Jesus from the Gospel or Muhammad from the Koran.

[27] Well you say, “Farrakhan, you ain’t no Moses, you ain’t no Jesus, and you’re not no Muhammad. You have a defect in your character.”

[28] Well, that certainly may be so. However, according to the way the Bible reads, there is no prophet of God written of in the Bible that did not have a defect in his character. But, I have never heard any member of the faith of Judaism separate David from the Psalms, because of what happened in David’s life and you never separated Solomon from the building of the Temple because they say he had a thousand concubines, and you never separated any of the Great Servants of God.

[29] So today, whether you like it or not, God brought the idea through me and he didn’t bring it through me because my heart was dark with hatred and anti-Semitism, He didn’t bring it through me because my heart was dark and I’m filled with hatred for White people and for the human family of the planet. If my heart were that dark, how is the message so bright, the message so clear, the response so magnificent?

[30] And so, we stand here today at this historic moment. We are standing in the place of those who could not make it here today. We are standing on the blood of our ancestors. We are standing on the blood of those who died in the Middle Passage, who died in the fields and swamps of America, who died hangin’ from trees in the South, who died in the cells of their jailers, who died on the highways and who died in the fratricidal conflict that rages within our community.

[31] We are standing on the sacrifice of the lives of those heroes, our great men and women that we today may accept the responsibility that life imposes upon each traveler who comes this way.

[32] We must accept the responsibility that God has put upon us, not only to be good husbands and fathers and builders of our community, but God is now calling upon the despised and the rejected to become the cornerstone and the builders of a new world.

[33] And so, our brief subject today is taken from the American Constitution. In these words, toward a more perfect union, toward a more perfect union.

[34] Now, when you use the word “more” with “perfect,” that which is perfect is that which has been brought to completion. So, when you use “more perfect,” you’re either saying that what you call “perfect” is “perfect” for that stage of its development but not yet “complete.” When Jefferson said, “toward a more perfect union,” he was admitting that the union was not perfect, that it was not finished, that work had to be done.

[35] And so we are gathered here today not to bash somebody else. We’re not gathered here to say all of the evils of this nation. But we are gathered here to collect ourselves for a responsibility that God is placing on our shoulders to move this nation toward a more perfect union. Now, when you look at the word “toward,” “toward,” it means in the direction of, in furtherance or partial fulfillment of, with the view to obtaining or having shortly before, coming soon, eminent, going on in progress. Well, that’s right. We’re in progress toward a perfect union. Union means bringing elements or components into unity.

[36] It is something formed by uniting two or more things. It is a number of persons, states, etcetera, which are joined or associated together for some common purpose. We’re not here to tear down America.

[37] America is tearing itself down. We are here to rebuild the wasted cities. What we have in the word toward is motion. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that motion is the first law of the universe.

[38] This motion which takes us from one point to another shows that we are evolving and we are a part of a universe that is ever evolving. We are on an evolutionary course that will bring us to perfection or completion of the process toward a perfect union with God. In the word “toward” there is a law and that law is everything that is created is in harmony with the law of evolution, change. Nothing is standing still.

[39] It is either moving toward perfection or moving toward disintegration, or under certain circumstances doing both things at the same time. The word for this evolutionary changing affecting stage after stage until we reach perfection, in Arabic it is called Rhab. And from the word Rhab you get the word Rhaby, or teacher, one who nourishes a people from one stage and brings them to another stage. Well, if we are in motion, and we are, motion toward perfection and we are, there can be no motion toward perfection without the Lord, who created the law of evolution and is the master of the changes.

[40] Our first motion then must be toward the God, who created the law of the evolution of our being. And if our motion toward him is right and proper, then our motion toward a perfect union with each other and with government and with the peoples of the world will be perfected. So, let us start with a process leading to that perfect union must first be seen. Now, brothers and sisters, the day of atonement is established by God to help us achieve a closer tie with the source of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and power.

[41] For it is only through a closer union or tie with Him, who created us all, with Him who has power over all things that we can draw power, knowledge, wisdom and understanding from Him, that we may be enabled to change the realities of our life. A perfect union with God is the idea at the base of atonement. Now, atonement demands of us eight steps, in fact, atonement is the fifth step in an eight stage process.

[42] Look at our division, not here, out there. We as a people, who have been fractured, divided and destroyed, because of our division now must move toward a perfect union. Let’s look at a speech delivered by a White slave holder on the banks of the James River in 1712, sixty-eight years before our former slave masters permitted us to join the Christian faith. Listen to what he said. He said, quote, “In my bag I have a fool proof method of controlling Black slaves. I guarantee everyone of you, if installed correctly, it will control the slaves for at least 300 years. My method is simple. Any member of your family or your overseer can use it. I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves and I take these differences and I make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes.”

[43] I want you to listen. What are those three things? Fear, envy, distrust. For what purpose? Control. To control who? The slave. Who is the slave? Us. Listen, he said, “These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and they will work throughout the south.”

[44] “Now, take this simple little list and think about it. On the top of my list is age. But it’s only there because it starts with an ‘A.’ And the second is color or shade. There’s intelligence, sex, size of plantation, status of plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley or on a hill, north, east, south or west, have fine hair or course hair, or is tall or short.

[45] Now that you have a list of differences I shall give you an outline of action. But before that, I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust. And envy is stronger than adulation, respect, or admiration.

[46] The Black slave after receiving this indoctrination shall carry it on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for hundreds of years. Maybe thousands of years. Now don’t forget, you must pitch the old Black male against the young Black male. And the young Black male against the old Black male.

[47] You must use the female against the male. And you must use the male against the female. You must use the dark skinned slave against the light skinned slave. And the light skinned slave against the dark skinned slave.

[48] You must also have your white servants and overseers distrust all Blacks. But it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect, and trust only us. Gentlemen, these keys are your keys to control. Use them. Never miss an opportunity. And if used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. Thank you, gentlemen.”
End of quote. So spoke Willie Lynch 283 years ago.

[49] And so, as a consequence, we as a people now have been fractured, divided and destroyed, filled with fear, distrust and envy. Therefore, because of fear, envy and distrust of one another, many of us as leaders, teachers, educators, pastors and persons are still under the control mechanism of our former slave masters and their children.

[50] And now, in spite of all that division, in spite of all that divisiveness, we responded to a call and look at what is present here today. We have here those brothers with means and those who have no means.

[51] Those who are light and those who are dark. Those who are educated, those who are uneducated. Those who are business people, those who don’t know anything about business. Those who are young, those who are old. Those who are scientific, those who know nothing of science. Those who are religious and those who are irreligious. Those who are Christian, those who are Muslim, those who are Baptist, those who are Methodist, those who are Episcopalian, those of traditional African religion. We’ve got them all here today.

[52] And why did we come? We came because we want to move toward a more perfect union. And if you notice, the press triggered every one of those divisions. You shouldn’t come, you’re a Christian. That’s a Muslim thing. You shouldn’t come, you’re too intelligent to follow hate! You shouldn’t come, look at what they did, they excluded women, you see? They played all the cards, they pulled all the strings.

[53] Oh, but you better look again, Willie. There’s a new Black man in America today. A new Black woman in America today. Now brothers, there’s a social benefit of our gathering here today. And that is, that from this day forward, we can never again see ourselves through the narrow eyes of the limitation of the boundaries of our own fraternal, civic, political, religious, street organization or professional organization. We are forced by the magnitude of what we see here today, that whenever you return to your cities and you see a Black man, a Black woman, don’t ask him what is your social, political or religious affiliation, or what is your status? Know that he is your brother. And if he needs help, you are obligated to help your brother because he is your brother.

[54] You must live beyond the narrow restrictions of the divisions that have been imposed upon us. Well, some of us are here because it’s history making. Some of us are here because it’s a march through which we can express anger and rage with America for what she has and is doing to us. So, we’re here for many reasons but the basic reason that this was called was for atonement and reconciliation. So, it is necessary for me in as short of time as possible to give as full an explanation of atonement as possible.

[55] As I said earlier, atonement is the fifth stage in an eight stage process. So, let’s go back to the first stage of the process that brings us into perfect union with God. And the first stage is the most difficult of all because when we are wrong, and we are not aware of it, someone has to point out the wrong. I want to, I want to say this again, but I want to say it slowly. And I really want each one of these points to sink in. How many of us in this audience, at some time or another have been wrong? Would we just raise our hands?

[56] OK. Now, when we are wrong, Lord knows we want to be right. The most difficult thing is when somebody points it out do we accept it, do we reject it, do we hate the person who pointed out our wrong?

[57] How do we treat the person who points out our wrong? Now, I want you to follow me. When you go to a doctor, you’re not feeling well, the doctor says, what’s wrong? Well, I don’t know, doc. Well, where is the pain? Tell me something about the symptoms. You want the doctor to make a correct diagnosis. You don’t smack the doctor when he points out what’s wrong.

[58] You don’t hate the doctor when he points out what’s wrong. You say, thank you, doctor. What’s my prescription for healing? We all right? [audience responds: “Yeah”]. Now, look, whoever is entrusted with the task of pointing out wrong, depending on the nature of the circumstances, is not always loved.

[59] In fact, more than likely, that person is going to be hated and misunderstood. Such persons are generally hated because no one wants to be shown as being wrong. Particularly when you’re dealing with governments, with principalities, with powers, with rulers, with administrations. When you’re dealing with forces which have become entrenched in their evil, intractable and unyielding their power produces an arrogance. And their arrogance produces a blindness. And out of that evil state of mind, they will do all manner of evil to the person who points out their wrong. Even though you’re doing good for them by pointing out where America went wrong.

[60] Now, Martin Luther King, Jr. was probably one of the most patriotic Americans. More patriotic than George Washington. More patriotic than Thomas Jefferson. More patriotic than many of the presidents because he had the courage to point out what was wrong in the society. And because he pointed out what was wrong, he was evil spoken of, vilified, maligned, hated and eventually, murdered.

[61] Brother Malcolm had that same road to travel. He pointed out what was wrong in the society and he had to suffer for pointing out what was wrong and he ultimately died on the altar for pointing out what was wrong. Inside the nation, outside the nation, to the greater nation and to the smaller nation.

[62] We talking about moving toward a perfect union. Well, pointing out fault, pointing out our wrongs is the first step.

[63] The second step is to acknowledge. Oh, thank you. Oh, man, I’m wrong. To acknowledge means to admit the existence, the reality or the truth of some reality. It is to recognize as being valid. Or having force and power. It is to express thanks, appreciation, or gratitude. So in this context, the word acknowledgement means to be in a state of recognition of the truth of the fact that we have been wrong. This is the second step.

[64] Well, the third step is that after you know you’re wrong and you acknowledge it to yourself, who else knows it except you confess it. You say, well, yeah, all right. But who should I confess to?

[65] And why should I confess? The Bible says confession is good for the soul. Now, brothers I know, I don’t have a lot of time, but the soul is the essence of a person’s being. And when the soul is covered with guilt from sin and wrongdoing, the mind and the actions of the person reflect the condition of the soul. So, to free the soul or the essence of man from its burden, one must acknowledge one’s wrong, but then one must confess.

[66] The Holy Koran says it like this: I’ve been greatly unjust to myself, and I confess my faults. So grant me protection against all my faults, for none grants protection against faults but Thee. It is only through confession that we can be granted protection from the consequences of our faults.

[67] For every deed has a consequence. And we can never be granted protection against the faults that we refuse to acknowledge or that we are unwilling to confess. So, look. Who should you confess to? I don’t want to confess. Who should you confess to? Who should I confess to? Who should we confess to? First, you confess to God. And everyone of us that are here today, that knows that we have done wrong, we have to go to God and speak to Him in the privacy of our rooms and confess. He already knows, but when you confess, you’re relieving your soul of the burden that it bears.

[68] But, then, the hardest part is to go to the person or persons whom your fault has ill-affected and confess to them. That’s hard. That’s hard. But, if we want a perfect union, we have to confess the fault. Well, what happens after confession? There must be repentance. When you repent, you feel remorse or contrition or shame for the past conduct which was and is wrong and sinful. It means to feel contrition or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do.

[69] And, it is the experiencing of such regret for past conduct that involves the changing of our mind toward that sin. So, until we repent and feel sick, sorry over what we have done, we can never, never, change our mind toward that thing. And if you don’t repent, you’ll do it over and over and over again. But to stop it where it is, and Black men, we got to stop what we’re doing where it is. We cannot continue the destruction of our lives and the destruction of our community. But that change can’t come until we feel sorry.

[70] I heard my brother from the West Coast say today, I atone to the mothers for the death of the babies caused by our senseless slaughter of one another. See, when he feels sorry deep down inside, he’s going to make a change.

[71] That man has a change in his mind. That man has a change in his heart. His soul has been unburdened and released from the pain of that sin, but you got to go one step further, because after you’ve acknowledged it, confessed it, repented, you’ve come to the fifth stage. Now you’ve got to do something about it.

[72] Now, look brothers, sisters. Some people don’t mind confessing. Some people don’t mind making some slight repentance. But, when it comes to doing something about the evil that we’ve done, we fall short.

[73] But atonement means satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury. It means to make amends. It means penance, expiation, compensation and recompense made or done for an injury or wrong.

[74] So, atonement means we must be willing to do something in expiation of our sins so we can’t just have a good time today, and say we made history in Washington. We got to resolve today that we’re going back home to do something about what’s going on in our lives and in our families and in our communities.

[75] Now, we all right? Can you hang with me a few more? [audience responds: “Sure. Yeah”] Now, brothers and sisters, if we make atonement it leads to the sixth stage. And the sixth stage is forgiveness. Now, so many of us want forgiveness, but we don’t want to go through the process that leads to it. And so, when we say we forgive, we forgive from our lips, but we have never pardoned in the heart.

[76] So, the injury still remains. My dear family. My dear brothers. We need forgiveness. God is always ready to forgive us for our failures. Forgiveness means to grant pardon for, or remission of, an offense or sin. It is to absolve, to clear, to exonerate and to liberate. Boy, that’s something!

[77] See, you’re not liberated until you can forgive. You’re not liberated from the evil effect of our own sin until we can ask God for forgiveness and then forgive others, and this is why in the Lord’s Prayer you say, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

[78] So, it means to cease to feel offense and resentment against another for the harm done by an offender. It means to wipe the slate clean. And then, that leads to the seventh stage. You know, I like to liken this to music. Because in music, the seventh note is called a leading tone. [Farrakhan sings] Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti. You can’t stop there. Ti.

[79] It leaves you hung up, Ti. What you got to get back to? Do. So, whatever you started with when you reach the eight note, you’re back to where you started only at a higher vibration. Now, look, at this. The seventh tone, the leading tone that leads to the perfect union with God is reconciliation and restoration because after forgiveness, now, we are gonna to be restored to what? To our original position. To restore, to reconcile means to become friendly, peaceable again, to put hostile persons into a state of agreement or harmony, to make compatible or to compose or settle what it was that made for division.

[80] It means to resolve differences. It can mean to establish or re-establish a close relationship between previously hostile persons. So, restoration means the act of returning something to an original or un-impaired condition. Now, when you’re back to an un-impaired position, you have reached the eighth stage, which is perfect union. And when we go through all these steps, there is no difference between us, that we can’t heal. There’s a bomb in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul. There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole.

[81] We are a wounded people but we’re being healed, but President Clinton, America is also wounded. And there’s hostility now in the great divide between the people. Socially the fabric of America is being torn apart and it’s Black against Black, Black against White, White against White, White against Black, Yellow against Brown, Brown against Yellow. We are being torn apart. And we can’t gloss it over with nice speeches, my dear, Mr. President.

[82] Sir, with all due respect, that was a great speech you made today. And you praised the marchers and they’re worthy of praise. You honored the marchers and they are worthy of honor. But of course, you spoke ill indirectly of me, as a purveyor of malice and hatred.

[83] I must hasten to tell you, Mr. President, that I’m not a malicious person, and I’m not filled with malice. But, I must tell you that I come in the tradition of the doctor who has to point out, with truth, what’s wrong. And the pain is that power has made America arrogant. Power and wealth has made America spiritually blind and the power and the arrogance of America makes you refuse to hear a child of your slaves pointing out the wrong in your society.

[84] But, I think if you could clear the scales from your eyes, sir, and give ear to what we say, perhaps, oh perhaps, what these great speakers who spoke before me said, and my great and wonderful brother, the Reverend Jesse Jackson said, and perhaps, just perhaps, from the children of slaves might come a solution to this Pharaoh and this Egypt as it was with Joseph when they had to get him out of prison and wash him up and clean him up because Pharaoh had some troubling dreams that he didn’t have any answer to. He called his soothsayers and he called the people that read the stars and he called all his advisors, but nobody could help him to solve the problem. But he had to go to the children of slaves, because he heard that there was one in prison who knew the interpretation of dreams. And he said bring him, bring him and let me hear what he has to say.

[85] God has put it for you in the scriptures, Mr. President. Balshasar and Nebuchadnezzar couldn’t read the handwriting on the wall. But, Daniel had to read the handwriting for him. Manne, manne, tek elauhu phossen. Your kingdom has been weighed in the balance and has been found wanting.

[86] Do you want a solution to the dilemma that America faces? Then, don’t look at our skin color, because racism will cause you to reject salvation if it comes in the skin of a Black person. Don’t look at the kinkiness of our hair and the broadness of our nose and the thickness of our lips, but listen to the beat of our hearts and the pulsating rhythm of the truth. Perhaps, perhaps, you might be as wise as that Pharaoh and save this great nation.

[87] And so, the eighth stage is perfect union with God. And in the Koran, it reads. “Oh soul that is at rest, well pleased with thy lord and well pleasing.” Oh, brothers, brothers, brothers, you don’t know what its like to be free. Freedom can’t come from White folks. Freedom can’t come from staying here and petitioning this great government. We’re here to make a statement to the great government, but not to beg them. Freedom cannot come from no one but the god who can liberate the soul from the burden of sin. And this is why Jesus said “come unto me,” not some who are heavy laden, “but all that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

[88] But listen, all of these eight steps take place in a process called time. And whenever a nation is involved in sin to the point that God intends to judge and destroy that nation, he always sends someone to make that nation or people know their sins, to reflect on it, to acknowledge, to confess, to repent and to atone that they might find forgiveness with God. America, oh America. This great city of Washington is like Jerusalem. And the Bible says “Jerusalem, oh Jerusalem, you that stoneth and killith the prophets of God.”

[89] Right from this beautiful Capitol and from the beautiful White House have come commands to kill the prophets. Garvey’s trouble came from this house. Martin Luther King’s trouble came from this house. Malcolm’s trouble came from this house. W. E. B. Dubois’ trouble came from this house. And from this house, you stoned and killed the prophets of God that would have liberated Black people, liberated America.

[90] But I stand here today knowing, knowing that you are angry. That my people have validated me. I don’t need you to validate me. I don’t need to be in any mainstream. I want to wash in the river of Jordan and the river that you see and the sea that is before us and behind us and around us is validation.

[91] That’s the mainstream. You’re out of touch with reality. A few of you in a few smoke-filled rooms, calling that the mainstream while the masses of the people, White and Black, Red, Yellow, and Brown, poor and vulnerable are suffering in this nation.

[92] Well, America, great America. Like Jerusalem that stoned and killed the prophets of God. That a work has been done in you today unlike any work that’s ever been done in this great city. I wonder what you’ll say tomorrow?

[93] I wonder what you’ll write in your newspapers and magazines, tomorrow. Will you give God the glory? Will you give God the glory? Will you respect the beauty of this day? All of these Black men that the world sees as savage, maniacal, and bestial. Look at them. A sea of peace. A sea of tranquility. A sea of men ready to come back to God. Settle their differences and go back home to turn our communities into decent and safe places to live.

[94] America. America, the beautiful. There’s no country like this on the earth. And certainly if I lived in another country, I might never have had the opportunity to speak as I speak today. I probably would have been shot outright and so would my brother, Jesse, and so would Maulana Karenga and so would Dr. Ben Chavis and Reverend Al Sampson and all the wonderful people that are here. But because this is America you allow me to speak even though you don’t like what I may say.

[95] Because this is America, that provision in the constitution for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and freedom of religion, that is your saving grace. Because what you’re under right now is grace. And grace is the expression of divine love and protection which God bestows freely on people.

[96] God is angry, America. He’s angry, but His mercy is still present. Brothers and sisters look at the inflictions that have come upon us in the Black community. Do you know why we’re being afflicted? God wants us to humble ourselves to the message that will make us atone and come back to Him and make ourselves whole again. But why is God afflicting America? Why is God afflicting the world? Why did Jesus say there would be wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes in diverse places and pestilence and famine, and why did He say that these were just the beginning of sorrows?

[97] In the last ten years America has experienced more calamities than at any other time period in American history. Why America? God is angry. He’s not angry because you’re right. He’s angry because you’re wrong and you want to stone and kill the people who want to make you see you’re wrong. And so, the Bible says Elijah must first come. Why should Elijah come? Elijah has the job of turning the hearts of the children back to their fathers, and the father’s heart back to the children. Elijah becomes an axis upon which people turn back to God and God turns back to the people. And that’s why it said Elijah must first come. And so, here we are, 400 years, fulfilling Abraham’s prophecy.

[98] Some of our friends in the religious community have said, why should you take atonement? That was for the children of Israel. I say yes, it was. But atonement for the children of Israel prefigured our suffering here in America. Israel was in bondage to Pharaoh 400 years. We’ve been in America 440 years. They were under affliction. We’re under affliction. They’re under oppression. We’re under oppression.

[99] God said that nation which they shall serve, I will judge. Judgment means God is making a decision against systems, against institutions, against principalities and powers. And that’s why Paul said, we war not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. God is sending His decision. I can’t help it if I’ve got to make the decision known. You don’t understand me. My people love me.

[100] And yet, and yet, I point out the evils of Black people like no other leader does, but my people don’t call me anti-Black, because they know I must love them in order to point out what’s wrong so we can get it right to come back into the favor of God!

[101] But, let me say in truth, you can’t point out wrong with malice. You can’t point out wrong with hatred. Because, if we point out wrong with bitterness and hatred, then the bitterness and the hatred becomes a barrier between you and the person whom you hope to get right that they might come into the favor of God.

[102] So, we as Muslims who, in our first stage, yeah, we pointed out the wrong of America, but we didn’t point it out with no love, we point it out with the pain of our hurt. The pain of our suffering. The bitterness of our life story. But, we have grown beyond our bitterness. We have transcended beyond our pain. Why? It’s easy for us to say, the White man did this, the White man did that, the White man did the other, the White man did this. He deprived us of that. He killed the Indians. He did this. Yes, he did all of that.

[103] But, why did God let him do that? That’s the bigger question. And since we are not man enough to question God, we start beating up on the agent who is fulfilling prophesy. But, if we can transcend our pain to get up into God’s mind, and ask God, “God, why did you let our fathers come into bondage? God, why did you let us die in the Middle Passage? God, why did you suffer us to be in the hulls of ships? God, why did you let him lash us, why did you let him beat us, why did you let him castrate us? Why did you let him hang us? Why did you let him burn us? Why, God, why, why, why?”

[104] We got a right to question God. That’s the only way we can become wise. And if we question him like Job did, God may bring you up into his own thinking.

[105] And if God were to answer us today he would say to Black people, yes, I allowed this to happen. And I know you suffered, but Martin King, my servant, said it, undeserved suffering is redemptive.

[106] A whole world is lost, not just you Black people. A whole world has gone out of the way, not just you Black people. You the lost sheep, but the whole world is lost. You the bottom rail, but the one that put you on the bottom is then in the bottom with you holding you down. He’s in the bottomless pit himself.

[107] He said, Black Man, I love you. He said, but God, I mean, that’s a heck of a way to show me you love me. He said, but I love my son.

[108] I love Jesus more than I love any of my servants. But I had a cross for him. I had nails for him. I had him to be rejected and despised. I had him falsely accused and brought before the courts of men. I had them spit on him. I had them to pierce his side. But, I loved him more than anybody else. Why, God?! Why did you do it? Why?

[109] He said, I did it that I might be glorified, because like Job, no matter what I did to him, he never cursed me, he never said my God ain’t no good. He said whatever your will is, that’s what I want to do and that’s why, even though he descended into Hell, I have raised him to the limitless heights of Heaven, because only those who know the depths of Hell can appreciate the limitless heights of Heaven.

[110] And so, my children, I caused you to suffer in the furnace of affliction so that I might purify you and resurrect you from a grave of death and ignorance. I, God, put in your soul, not a law written on stone, but I have written the law on the tablets of your heart.

[110] So, I’m going to make a new covenant with you. Oh, Black man. The secret of the Masonic Order is the secret of Hirem Abbif. The secret of the Masonic Order is a master builder that was hit in the head. The secret of the Masonic Order is a master that ruffians roughed up.

[111] I think one of the ruffians was named Jubelo Furhman. And another was named Jubela Bilbow. And another one was named Jubelum Jesse Helms. These racists hit him in his head and carried him on a westerly course and buried him in the north country, in a shallow grave. Many tried to raise him up but they didn’t have the master grip. It’d take a master to come after him.

[112] And this is why Matthew said, “as lightening shines from the east, even unto the west, so shall the coming of the son of man be for where so ever, the eagles are gathered together, there shall the carcass be.” Here’s the carcass, the remains of a once mighty people, dry bones in the valley, a people slain from the foundation of the world.

[113] But God has sent the winds to blow on the bones. One of those winds is named Gingrich. And the companion wind is named Dole.

[114] And the other is called Supreme Court decision. The other is fratricidal conflict, drugs and dope and violence and crime. But we’ve had enough now. This is why you’re in Washington today. We’ve had enough.

[115] We’ve had enough distress, enough affliction. We’re ready to bow down now. If my people, who are called by my name, would just humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins, heal their land.

[116] You are ready now to come out of your furnace of affliction. You are ready now to accept the responsibility, oh, not just of the ghetto. God wants to purify you and lift you up, that you may call America and the world to repentance. Black man, you are a master builder, but you got hit in the head.

[117] Black men, you’re the descendants of the builders of the pyramids. But you have amnesia now. You can’t remember how you did it. But the Master has come. You know, pastors, I love that scripture where Jesus told his disciples, go there and you’ll see an ass and a colt tied with her. Untie ’em and bring ’em to me. If anybody ask you what you’re doing, because it may look like you’re stealing and you know they love to accuse you of stealing, tell them the Master got need of these. And Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass.

[118] The Democratic Party has for its symbol, a donkey. The donkey stands for the unlearned masses of the people. But the Democratic Party can’t call them asses no more. You got ’em all tied up, but you’re not using ’em. The donkey is tied up. But can you get off today? No, I can’t get off, I’m tied up. Somebody on you donkey? Well, yeah. I got a master. He rides me like the Master rode Balem’s ass, you know. But, hell, the ass is now talking with a man’s voice. And the ass want ta throw the rider off, because he got a new rider today.

[119] If anybody ask ya, tell them the Master has need. Look at you. Oh, I don’t know what the number is. It’s too much for me to count.

[120] But I think they said it’s a million and a half, or two. I don’t know how many. But you know, I called for a million. When I saw the word go out my mouth, I looked at it. I said, “Oh my God!” It just came out of my mouth. I didn’t know. And after it came out, I said, “Well I got to go with it.” And, I’m so glad I did. People told me you better change that figure to one more realistic. And I should have changed it to the Three Million Man March.

[121] Now, we’re almost finished. I want to take one last look at the word “atonement.”

[122] The first four letters of the word form the foundation: “a-t-o-n” . . . “a-ton,” “a-ton.” Since this obelisk in front of us is representative of Egypt. In the 18th dynasty, a Pharaoh named Akhenaton, was the first man of this history period to destroy the pantheon of many gods and bring the people to the worship of one god. And that one god was symboled by a sun disk with 19 rays coming out of that sun with hands holding the Egyptian Ankh–the cross of life. A-ton. The name for the one god in ancient Egypt. A- ton, the one god. 19 rays. Look at your scripture.

[123] A woman, remember the nine means somebody pregnant, with an idea. But, in this case, it’s a woman pregnant with a male child destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron. God is standing over her womb, and this child will be like the day sun, and He will say “I am the light of the world.” Hands coming out of that sun, come unto me all ye that are heavy laden. I’m gonna give you rest, but I’m gonna give you life, because I am the resurrection and the life and if you believe in me, though you are dead, yet shall you live again.

[124] You’re dead, Black man. But if you believe in the god who created this sun of truth and of light with 19 rays, meaning he’s pregnant with God’s spirit, God’s life, God’s wisdom. Abraham Lincoln’s statue, 19 feet high, 19 feet wide. Jefferson, 19 feet high, 16, and the third president, 19. Standing on the steps of the Capitol, in the light of the sun. Offering life to a people who are dead.

[125] Black man, the a-ton represents the one God. In the Koran, Muhammad is called a light giving son. So if you look at the a-ton, add an “e” to it, and separate the “a” from the next four letters and you get the word atone.

[126] “Tone” means sound. And “a”, the first letter of the alphabet and the first letter of the numerical system is one. So “a” equals one.

[127] So “a” sound means when you hear the “a” tone, you will hear the right sound. And when you hear the right sound from the one God calling you to divine life, you will respond. So what is the “a” tone? In music, “a” equals 440 vibrations. How long have we been in America? Four hundred and forty years.

[128] Well, in the 440th year, from the one God, the aton will come the “a” tone and all of us got to tune up our lives by the sound of the a tone. Because we’ve got to atone for all that we have done wrong.

[129] And when you atone, if you take the “t” and couple it with the “a” and hyphenate it, you get “at-one.” So when you atone you become at one. At one with who? The aton or the one God. Because you heard the “a” tone and you tuned up your life and now you’re ready to make a new beginning.

[130] So when you get at one, you get the next two letters. It is “m” “e.” Me. Who is it that has to atone? [audience responds: “Me”] Who? [“Me”] Who went wrong? [“Me”] Who got to fix it? [“Me”] Who should we look to? [“Me”] Yes! And then if you add, if you add another letter to “me” you get an “n.” What does that say? [“Men”] Men.

[131] So Farrakhan called men. Why did you call men? Because in the beginning, God made man. And if we are at a new beginning, we got to make a man all over again, but make him in the image and the likeness of God.

[132] Now, if you add the “t” on, you get the suffix “ment.” Ment means action, process. The instrument or agent of an action or process. So when you say I’m atoning, you got to act on it. You gotta get in the process. You gotta acknowledge your wrong, confess your wrong. Repent of your wrong. Atone for your wrong. Huh?

[133] Then you’ll get forgiveness, then reconciliation, and restoration. And then you’re back to the atone. Oh, Lord.

[134] Now brothers, let’s close it out. Don’t move. Don’t move. Now you know the Bible says in the 430th year of this sojourn they went out.

[135] That’s in a book called Exodus. Now the word exodus means departure–a going out. A way out. What did we come to Washington for? We didn’t come to Washington to petition the government for a way out of her. But to find a way out of our affliction. But a way out from something bigger than our affliction. Oh, man. When you say come out, what do you mean? You’ve got to come out from under the mind of a slave. We’ve got to come out from a mind that is self-afflicted with the evil of Black inferiority. We’ve got to come into a new way of thinking.

[136] Now brothers, sisters, I want to close this lecture with a special message to our President and to the Congress. There is a great divide, but the real evil in America is not white flesh, or black flesh. The real evil in America is the idea that undergirds the set up of the western world. And that idea is called White supremacy.

[137] Now wait, wait, wait. Before you get angry. Those of you listening by television. You don’t even know why you behave the way you behave.

[138] I’m not telling you I’m a psychiatrist, but I do want to operate on your head. White supremacy is the enemy of both White people and Black people because the idea of White supremacy means you should rule because you’re White, that makes you sick. And you’ve produced a sick society and a sick world. The founding fathers meant well, but they said, “toward a more perfect union.”

[139] So, the Bible says, we know in part, we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away with.

[140] So either, Mr. Clinton, we’re going to do away with the mind-set of the founding fathers. You don’t have to repudiate them like you’ve asked my brothers to do me. You don’t have to say they were malicious, hate filled people. But you must evolve out of their mind-set.

[141] You see their mind was limited to those six European nations out of which this country was founded. But you’ve got Asians here. How are you going to handle that? You’ve got children of Africa here. How are you going to handle that?

[142] You’ve got Arabs here. You’ve got Hispanics here. I know you call them illegal aliens, but hell, you took Texas from them by flooding Texas with people that got your mind. And now they’re coming back across the border to what is Northern Mexico, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. They don’t see themselves as illegal aliens. I think they might see you as an illegal alien. You have to be careful how you talk to people. You have to be careful how you deal with people. The Native American is suffering today. He’s suffering almost complete extinction. Now, he learned about bingo. You taught him. He learned about black jack. You taught him. He learned about playing roulette. You taught him. Now, he’s making a lot of money.

[143] You’re upset with him because he’s adopted your ways. What makes you like this? See, you’re like this because you’re not well. You’re not well. And in the light of today’s global village, you can never harmonize with the Asians. You can’t harmonize with the islands of the Pacific. You can’t harmonize with the dark people of the world who outnumber you eleven to one, if you’re going to stay in the mind of White supremacy. White supremacy has to die in order for humanity to live.

[144] Now, oh, I know. I know. I know it’s painful, but we have to operate now, just, just take a little of this morphine and you won’t feel the pain as much. You just need to bite down on something, as I stop this last few minutes, just bite down on your finger. Listen, listen, listen, listen, White supremacy caused you all, not you all, some White folk to try to rewrite history and write us out. White supremacy caused Napoleon to blow the nose off of the Sphinx because it reminded you too much of the Black man’s majesty.

[145] White supremacy caused you to take Jesus, a man with hair like lambs wool and feet like burnished brass and make him White. So that you could worship him because you could never see yourself honoring somebody Black because of the state of your mind. You see, you, you really need help. You’ll be all right. You’ll be all right. You will be all right. Now, now, now, you painted the Last Supper, everybody there White.

[146] My mother asked the man that came to bring her the Bible. He said, look there, the pictures in the Bible. You see, Jesus and all his disciples are at the Last Supper–my mother in her West Indian accent said, you mean ain’t nobody Black was at the Last Supper?

[147] And the man said, “Yes, but they was in the kitchen.” So now you’ve whitened up everything.

[148] Any great invention that we made you put white on it, because you didn’t want to admit that a Black person had that intelligence, that genius. You try to color everything to make it satisfactory to the sickness of your mind.

[149] So you whitened up religion, Farrakhan didn’t do that. You locked the Bible from us, Farrakhan didn’t do that. Your sick mind wouldn’t even let you bury us in the same ground that both of us came out of. We had to be buried somewhere else. That’s sick. Some of us died just to drink water out of a fountain marked White. That’s sick. Isn’t it sick?

[150] You poisoned religion. And in all the churches, until recently, the master was painted white. So, you had us bowing down to your image. Which ill-effected our minds. You gave us your version of history. And you whitened that up. Yes, you did. Yes, you did.

[151] You are a White Shriner. The Black Shriner don’t integrate the shrine. Why don’t you Black Shriners integrate the shrine? Because in the shrine, you are the essence of the secret. They don’t want you there. They’ll have to tell the world, it’s you we been thinking about all along.

[152] Now, White folks see the reason you could look at the O.J. Simpson trial, in horror, and the reason Black folk rejoiced, had nothing to do with the horror of the tragedy. Black folk would never rejoice over the slaughter of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.

[153] Black folk saw that with compassion. Many Black folk grieve over that reality. You say, “O.J. sold out.” No, he didn’t sell out. He was drawn out.

[154] Black folk that got talent, they all grow up in the “hood.” When we first sing, we sing in these old raunchy night clubs in the “hood.”

[155] When we play sandlot ball, we play it in the “hood.” But when you spot us, you draw us out. You say “that Negro can run. Look at how high he jumps.” So you give us a scholarship to your university. But the Blacks who are in college, who play basketball for you, who play football for you, who run track for you, you disallow them to get involved with Black students and the suffering of Black students on all-White campuses. You hide them away. Give them privileges.

[156] Then they find themselves with your daughter.

[157] Then you take them into the NBA, the NFL, and they become megastars. Or in the entertainment field and when they become megastars, their association is no longer Black. They may not have a Black manager, a Black agent, a Black accountant. They meet in parties, in posh neighborhoods that Black folk don’t come into. So their association becomes White women, White men, and association breeds assimilation.

[158] And if you have a slave mentality, you feel you have arrived now because you can jump over cars, running in airports, playing in films.

[159] I’m not degrading, my brother, I love him. But he was drawn out. He didn’t sell out, he was drawn out. Michael Jackson is drawn out.

[160] Most of our top stars are drawn out. And then, when you get them, you imprison them with fear and distrust. You don’t want them to speak out on the issues that are political, that are social. They must shut their mouths or you threaten to take away their fame, take away their fortune because you’re sick. And the president is not gonna point this out. He’s trying to get well. But he’s a physician that can’t heal himself.

[161] I’m almost finished. White supremacy has poisoned the bloodstream of religion, education, politics, jurisprudence, economics, social ethics and morality.

[162] And there is no way that we can integrate into White supremacy and hold our dignity as human beings because if we integrate into that, we become subservient to that. And to become subservient to that is to make the slave master comfortable with his slave.

[163] So, we got to come out of here my people. Come out of a system and a world that is built on the wrong idea. An idea that never can create a perfect union with God.

[164] The false idea of White supremacy prevents anyone from becoming one with God. White people have to come out of that idea, which has poisoned them into a false attitude of superiority based on the color of their skins. The doctrine of White supremacy disallows Whites to grow to their full potential. It forces White people to see themselves as the law or above the law. And that’s why Furhman could say that he is like a god. See, he thinks like that, but that idea is pervasive in police departments across the country. And it’s getting worse and not better because White supremacy is not being challenged.

[165] And I say to all of us who are leaders, all of us who are preachers, we must not shrink from the responsibility of pointing out wrong, so that we can be comfortable and keep White people comfortable in their alienation from God. And so, White folks are having heart attacks today because their world is coming down. And if you look at the Asians, the Asians have the fastest growing economies in the world. The Asians are not saying, bashing White people. You don’t find the Asians saying the White man is this, the White man is that, the White man is the other.

[166] He don’t talk like that. You know what he does? He just relocates the top banks from Wall Street to Tokyo. He don’t say, “I’m better than the White man.” He just starts building his world and building his economy and challenging White supremacy. I saw a young 14-year-old Chinese girl the other day play the violin.

[167] Sarah Chang is her name. She was magnificent. I saw a young Japanese girl, Midori, play the violin. She was magnificent. They don’t have to say to White people, “I’m better than you.” They just do their thing. And White folk have to readjust their thinking, because they thought that they could master all of these instruments and nobody else could, but the Chinese are mastering it, the Japanese are mastering it. All these things are breaking up the mind of White supremacy.

[168] Black man, you don’t have to bash White people, all we gotta do is go back home and turn our communities into productive places. All we gotta do is go back home and make our communities a decent and safe place to live. And if we start dotting the Black community with businesses, opening up factories, challenging ourselves to be better than we are, White folk, instead of driving by, using the “N” word, they’ll say, “Look, look at them. Oh, my God. They’re marvelous. They’re wonderful. We can’t, we can’t say they’re inferior anymore.” But, every time we drive-by shoot, every time we carjack, every time we use foul, filthy language, every time we produce culturally degenerate films and tapes, putting a string in our women’s backside and parading them before the world, every time we do things like this we are feeding the degenerate mind of White supremacy and I want us to stop feeding that mind and let that mind die a natural death.

[169] And so, to all the artists that are present, you wonderful gifted artists, remember that your gift comes from God. And David the Psalmist said, “praise Him on the tumbrel, praise Him on the lute, praise Him on the harp, praise Him in the sultry, praise Him in the song, praise Him in the dance, let everything be a praise of God.”

[170] So, when you sing, you don’t have to get naked to sing. Demonstrate your gift, not your breast. Demonstrate your gift, not what is between your legs. Clean up, Black man, and the world will respect and honor you. But, you have fallen down like the prodigal son and you’re husking corn and feeding swine.

[171] Filthy jokes. We can’t bring our children to the television.

[172] We can’t bring our families to the movies because the American people have an appetite like a swine. And you are feeding the swine with the filth of degenerate culture. We got to stop it.

[173] We’re not putting you down, brothers, we want to pick you up so with your rap, you can pick up the world. With your song, you can pick up the world. With your dance, with your music, you can pick up the world.

[174] And so America, if your conscience is afflicted because God is lashing you, don’t just start with the constitution, Mr. President. Start with the evil of slavery because that’s the root of the problem.

[175] And you can’t solve the problem, Mr. President, unless we expose the root. For when you expose the root to the light, then the root will die. The tree will die. And something new can come to birth. And so to the Whites of this nation, except you be born again, you can not see the kingdom of God. But can I return back into my mother’s womb for the second time? No. You can’t do that. But this old mind of White supremacy has to die in order that a new mind might come to birth.

[176] Black man. You can’t see the kingdom of God unless we be born again. Must I enter back into my mother’s womb for a second time? No. You can’t do that Black man. But the mind of White supremacy is repulsive to God. And the mind of Black inferiority is repulsive to God. And any mind of Black supremacy is repulsive to God. But the only mind that God will accept is a mind stayed on him and on righteousness.

[177] Black had to be taught to give us root in loving ourselves again. But that was a medicine, a prescription. But after health is restored we can’t keep taking the medicine. We’ve got to move onto something else. Higher and better.

[178] So, my beloved brothers and sisters, here’s what we would like you to do. Everyone of you, my dear brothers, when you go home, here’s what I want you to do. We must belong to some organization that is working for and in the interest of the uplift and the liberation of our people.

[179] Go back, join the NAACP if you want to, join the Urban league, join the All African People’s Revolutionary Party, join us, join the Nation of Islam, join PUSH, join the Congress of Racial Equality, join SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, but we must become a totally organized people and the only way we can do that is to become a part of some organization that is working for the uplift of our people. We must keep the local organizing committees that made this event possible, we must keep them together. Go back and join the local organizing committee. And then all of us, as leaders, must stay together and make the National African American Leadership Summit inclusive of all of us.

[180] I know that the NAACP did not officially endorse this march. Neither did the Urban League. But, so what? So what? Many of the members are here anyway. I know that Dr. Lyons, of the National Baptist Association USA did not endorse the march, nor did the Reverend Dr. B.W. Smith, nor did Bishop Chandler Owens, but so what? These are our brothers and we’re not going to stop reaching out for them simply because we feel there was a misunderstanding. We still want to talk to our brothers because we cannot let artificial barriers divide us. Remember the letter of Willie Lynch and let’s not let Willie Lynch lynch our new spirit and our new attitude and our new mind.

[181] No, we must continue to reach out for those that have condemned this, and make them to see that this was not evil: it was not intended for evil, it was intended for good. Now, brothers, moral and spiritual renewal is a necessity. Every one of you must go back home and join some church, synagogue, temple or mosque that is teaching spiritual and moral uplift. I want you, brothers, there’s no men in the church, in the mosque.

[182] The men are in the streets and we got to get back to the houses of God. But preachers, we have to revive religion in America.

[183] We have to revive the houses of God that they’re not personal thiefdoms of those of us who are their preachers and pastors. But we got to be more like Jesus, more like Mohammed, more like Moses and become servants of the people in fulfilling their needs.

[184] Brothers, when you go home, we’ve got to register eight million, eligible but unregistered brothers, sisters. So you go home and find eight more like yourself. You register and get them to register.

[185] Well how should I register? Should I register as a Democrat? Should I register as a Republican? Should I register as independent?

[186] If you’re an independent, that’s fine. If you’re a Democrat, that’s fine. If you’re a Republican, that’s OK. Because in local elections you have to do that which is in the best interest of your local community. But what we want is not necessarily a third party, but a third force.

[187] Which means that we’re going to collect Democrats, Republicans and independents around an agenda that is in the best interest of our people. And then all of us can stand on that agenda and in 1996, whoever the standard bearer is for the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, or the independent party should one come into existence. They’ve got to speak to our agenda.

[188] We’re no longer going to vote for somebody just because they’re Black. We tried that. We wish we could. But we got to vote for you, if you are compatible with our agenda.

[189] Now many of the people that’s in this House right here are put there by the margin of the Black vote. So in the next election, we want to see who in here do we want to stay and who in here do we want to go.

[190] And we want to show them that never again will they ever disrespect the Black community. We must make them afraid to do evil to us and think they can get away with it.

[191] We must be prepared to help them if they’re with us or to punish them if they’re against us. And when they’re against us, I’m not talking about color. I’m talking about an agenda that’s in the best interest of the Black, the poor and the vulnerable in this society.

[192] Now atonement goes beyond us. I don’t like this squabble with the members of the Jewish community. I don’t like it. The honorable Elijah Muhammad said in one of his writings that he believed that we would work out some kind of an accord. Maybe so. Reverend Jackson has talked to the 12 presidents of Jewish organizations and perhaps in the light of what we see today, maybe it’s time to sit down and talk. Not with any preconditions. You got pain. Well, we’ve got pain, too. You hurt. We hurt, too.

[193] The question is: if the dialogue is proper then we might be able to end the pain. And ending the pain may be good for both and ultimately good for the nation. We’re not opposed to sitting down. And I guess if you can sit down with Arafat where there are rivers of blood between you–why can’t you sit down with us and there’s no blood between us. You don’t make sense not to dialogue. It doesn’t make sense.

[194] Well, brothers, I hope Father Clemons spoke today. Is Father Clemons here? Father Clemons. Do you know Father Clemons? He is one of the great pastors. Father Clemons, I wanted him to speak today because he has a program that he wants everyone of us when we leave here to go to some jail or prison and adopt one inmate for the rest of his and your life to make them your personal friend–to help them through their incarceration, to be encouragement for them. The brothers who are locked down inside the walls need us on the outside and we need them on the inside.

[195] So if every one of us will pick out one inmate, Father Clemons will do the work of guiding this development, because it is his idea, and it is a good idea and the national African-American leadership summit adopts that idea.

[196] Thank you, Father Clemons. Will you do that, brothers?

[197] How many of you will adopt one Black man in prison and make him your pal, your brother for life. Help him through the incarceration. Well, go to the chaplain of that jail and say, you want to adopt one inmate to start writing to that person, visiting that person, helping that person. And since so many of us have been there already, we know what they suffer. Let’s help our brothers and sisters who are locked down.

[198] Did anybody mention the political prisons? Brother Conrad Worrell mentioned our political prisoners, never forget them. And now, brothers, there are 25,000 Black children in need of adoption. This is our brother Eason who is the president of Blacks in Government. I’m sorry, brother Dunston, the president of the Black Social Workers. He has 25,000 children in need of adoption. Out of this vast audience, there must be 25,000 men who will take one of these children and take them through life and make life worth living for those children.

[199] In this vast audience, is there anyone one, two, ten, twenty-five, hundred, a thousand, 25 thousand who would be willing to adopt a Black brother or sister, bring them into your home and rear them properly? How many of you think you would like to do that, would you just raise your hand, let me take a look. Raise them high. That’s a wonderful expression. Where should they do, what should they do, who should they see? [a voice from the crowd shouts: “They should see booth 26 north.”]

[200] Booth 26 north is where you should go. It is to my right, your left. Or you should call 1-800-419-1999. Now brothers, the last thing we want to say, we want to develop an economic development fund. Suppose, the nearly 2 million here, and 10 million more back home that support us gave $10 a month to a national economic development fund.

[201] Inside of one month, we would have over $100 million. And in one year, we would have $1.2 billion. What will we do with that? I would love for the leadership up here to form a board and call in Myrlie Evers Williams and ask her, what is the budget of the NAACP for this year? It’s $13 million. It’s $15 million, write a check. Now, next year you have to become accountable to the board, and the members of the NAACP will be on the board too, which means that no Black organization will be accountable to anybody outside of us.

[202] But accountable to us and we will free the NAACP, the Urban League and all Black organizations to work in the best interest of our people. How many of you would like to see all our Black organizations free? Now, look brothers, an economic development fund for $10 a month is not a big price to ask to begin to build an economic infrastructure to nurture businesses within the Black community. Soon the leadership is going to meet and work out the details of an Exodus, Exodus Economic Fund.

[203] And we’re going to get back to you. This is not a one day thing. A task force will be formed right out of this leadership to make sure that the things that we say today will be implemented so that next year on the day of atonement, which this will take place each and every year from now on until God says, well done. Now, you saw the money that was taken up today, didn’t you? How many of you gave some money today? I see some hands that wanted to give, but didn’t get that box to them.

[204] Well, let me tell you something brothers, we want an outside accounting firm to come in and scrutinize every dollar that was raised from your pockets to make the Million Man March a success. And if there is any overage, it will not be spent. We will come back to this board of leadership and we will account for every nickel, every dime every dollar.

[205] Do you know why? We want Willie Lynch to die a natural death. And the only way we can kill the idea of Willie Lynch, we have to build trust in each other. And the only way we can build trust is to open up the coat and show that you don’t have a hidden agenda. All of us will be looking at the same thing, for the same purpose.

[206] And then we’ll come back to you and make a full accounting for every nickel, every dime and every dollar so that you can trust.

[207] I put my life on this. To rob you is a sin. To use you and abuse you is a sin. To make mockery of your love and your trust is a sin.

[208] And we repent of all sin and we refuse to do sin anymore.

[209] Is that agreeable, Black man? Now, brothers, in closing I want you to take this pledge. When I say I, I want you to say I, and I’ll say your name. I know that there’s so many names, but I want you to shout your name out so that the ancestors can hear it.

[210] Take this pledge with me. Say with me please, I [audience responds: “I”] say your name [audience responds], pledge [“pledge”] that from this day forward [“that from this day forward”] I will strive [“I will strive”] to love my brother [“to love my brother”] as I love myself [“as I love myself”]. I [“I”], say your name [audience responds], from this day forward [“from this day forward”] will strive [“will strive”] to improve myself [“to improve myself”] spiritually [“spiritually”], morally [“morally”], mentally [“mentally”], socially [“socially”], politically [“politically”], and economically [“and economically”] for the benefit of myself [“for the benefit of myself”], my family [“my family”], and my people [“and my people”].

[211] I [audience responds: “I”], say your name [audience responds], pledge [“pledge”] that I will strive [“that I will strive”] to build business [“to build business”], build houses [“build houses”], build hospitals [“build hospitals”], build factories [“build factories”], and then to enter international trade [“and then to enter international trade”] for the good of myself [“for the good of myself”], my family [“my family”], and my people [“and my people”]. I [“I”], say your name [audience responds], pledge [“pledge”] that from this day forward [“that from this day forward”] I will never raise my hand [“I will never raise my hand”] with a knife or a gun [“with a knife or a gun”] to beat [“to beat”], cut [“cut”], or shoot [“or shoot”] any member of my family [“any member of my family”] or any human being [“or any human being”], except in self-defense [“except in self-defense”].

[212] I [audience responds: “I”], say your name [audience responds], pledge [“pledge”] from this day forward [“from this day forward”] I will never [“I will never”] abuse my wife [“abuse my wife”] by striking her [“by striking her”], disrespecting her [“disrespecting her”] for she [“for she”] is the mother of my children [“is the mother of my children”] and the producer of my future [“and the producer of my future”]. I [“I”], say your name [audience responds], pledge [“pledge”] that from this day forward [“that from this day forward”] I will never engage [“I will never engage”] in the abuse of children [“in the abuse of children”], little boys [“little boys”], or little girls [“or little girls”] for sexual gratification [“for sexual gratification”].

[213] But I [audience responds: “But I”] will let them grow [“will let them grow”] in peace [“in peace”] to be strong men and women [“to be strong men and women”] for the future of our people [“for the future of our people”]. I [“I”], say your name [audience responds], will never again [“will never again”] use the B word [“use the B word”] to describe any female [“to describe any female”], but particularly [“but particularly”] my own Black sister [“my own Black sister”].

[214] I [audience responds: “I”], say your name [audience responds], pledge [“pledge”] from this day forward [“from this day forward”] that I will not poison my body [“that I will not poison my body”] with drugs [“with drugs”] or that which is destructive [“or that which is destructive”] to my health [“to my health”] and my well being [“and my well being”]. I [“I”], say your name [audience responds], pledge [“pledge”] from this day forward [“from this day forward”], I will support Black newspapers [“I will support Black newspapers”], Black radio [“Black radio”], Black television [“Black television”]. I will support Black artists [“I will support Black artists”], who clean up their acts [“who clean up their acts”] to show respect for themselves [“to show respect for themselves”] and respect for their people [“and respect for their people”], and respect for the ears of the human family [“and respect for the ears of the human family”].

[215] I [audience responds: “I”], say your name [audience responds], will do all of this [“will do all this”] so help me God [“so help me God”].

[216] Well, I think we all should hold hands now. And I want somebody to sing “To God be the Glory.”

[217] And the reason I want this song sung is because I don’t want anybody to take the credit for a day like this. I didn’t do it. Reverend Chavis didn’t do it. Reverend Jackson didn’t do it. Reverend Sharpton didn’t do it. Conrad Rawell or Maulana Karenga didn’t do it. Dr. Cornell West didn’t do it. But all of us worked together to do the best that we could but it’s bigger than all of us.

[218] So since we can’t take the praise, then we have to give all the glory, all the honor, all the praise to Him to whom it rightfully belongs.

[219] So in closing, we want to thank Mayor Barry and Mrs. Barry for opening this great city to us. And out of every dollar that was collected, 10 percent of it we’re going to leave here in Washington that Mayor Barry may aid some institution, some good cause in the city. We want to set a good example.

[220] This was a beautiful and peaceful meeting. Probably one of the best that ever was held in Washington held by Black men who want to atone to God and clear our slate. Beautiful Black brothers. Beautiful brothers, I’m going to say a prayer and I want to thank Phi Beta Sigma and its wonderful, wonderful president and all the Greek letter organizations but Phi Beta Sigma especially because they opened their door to the Million Man March and made it possible. I want to thank the Reverend Dr. Benjamin Chavis who did a wonderful, wonderful job.

[221] I thank his wife for her sacrifice and my wife for hers. I thank Dorothy Height and the National Council of Negro Women. I thank Dr. Betty Shabazz who came in the name of her husband and I thank God for allowing the negative thing to be turned into a positive that she and I might start a process of reconciling 30-year-old differences.

[222] Lord knows if we could do it with blood between us, God knows that Bloods and Crips have done it and what we have done to one another, don’t let the sun set before saying to your brother, I love you and I’m sorry. And after the prayer is said and the song is sung, I want you all to just embrace each other and say to each other, I love you my brother and thank you for making this holy day of atonement real in my life.

[223] Don’t do it now, wait ’til after prayer and the song. Will you bow your heads, please? Oh, before we say that prayer, the brother of my leader and teacher, the honorable Elijah Muhammad, is here with me and with us. He’s like my father in the absence of my father. He knows this history of the Nation of Islam better than any man in America and I thank God that he lived long enough to see the day that he suffered and worked for, for now 65 years. The brother of the honorable Elijah Muhammad, brother John Muhammad.

[224] And so now.

[225] [Muhammad says: “Dar al rahim salaam”]

[226] Dar al rahim salaam. He looks just like my daddy! And oh, Reverend Jackson, where is that great man? He had to go! Didn’t he preach today? And now, with your heads bowed, [Farrakhan sings in Arabic]

[227] In the name of Allah the beneficent, the merciful, praise be to Allah the Lord of the world, the beneficent, the merciful master of the day of requital.

[228] Thee do we worship. Thine aid we seek. Guide us on the right path. The path of those upon whom you have bestowed favors, not the path of those upon whom wrath is brought down. Nor those who go astray. Oh, Allah. We thank you for this holy day of Atonement and Reconciliation.

[229] We thank you for putting your spirit and your calm in Washington, D.C. and over the heads of this nearly two million of your servants. We thank you for letting us set a new example, not only for our people but for America and the world.

[230] We thank you, oh, Allah, for bringing us safely over the highways and we beg you to take us safely back to our wives and our children and our loved ones, who saw us off earlier or a few days ago.

[231] And as we leave this place, let us be resolved to go home to work out this Atonement and make our communities a decent, whole, and safe place to live. And oh, Allah, we beg your blessings on all who participated, all who came that presented their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable as their reasonable service.

[232] Now, let us not be conformed to this world, but let us go home transformed by the renewing of our minds and let the idea of atonement ring throughout America.

[233] That America may see that the slave has come up with power. The slave has been restored, delivered, and redeemed. And now call this nation to repentance. To acknowledge her wrongs. To confess, not in secret documents called classified, but to come before the world and the American people as the Japanese prime minister did and confess her faults before the world because her sins have affected the whole world. And perhaps, she may do some act of atonement, that you may forgive and those ill-affected may forgive, that reconciliation and restoration may lead us to the perfect union with thee and with each other. We ask all of this in your Holy and Righteous Name.

[234] Allahu, akbar [audience responds: “Allahu, akbar”]. Allahu, akbar [“allahu, akbar”]. Allahu, akbar [“allahu, akbar”]. That means God is great.

[235] And now Gregory Hopkins to sing “To God Be the Glory.” Keep holding each other’s hands, brothers. And after the song is sung, let us embrace each other.
[performance of song]

[236] Turn to your brother and hug your brother and tell your brother you love him and let’s carry this love all the way back to our cities and towns and never let it die, brothers. Never let it die.

Textual Authentication Information