chiefly ex-cons and junkies. In the early years, yes, the converts from society's lowest levels were
a sizable part of the Nation's broad base ofmembership. Always Mr. Muhammad instructed us,
"Go after the black man in the mud." Often, he said, those converted made the best Muslims.
But gradually we recruited other black people-the "good Christians" whom we "fished" from their
churches. Then, an increase began in the membership percentage of educated and trained
Negroes. For each rally attracted to the local temple a few more of that particular city's so-called
"middle-class" Negroes, the type who previously had scoffed at us "Black Muslims" as
"demagogues," and "hate-teachers," "black racists" and all the rest of the names. The Muslim
truths-listened to, thought about-reaped for us a growing quota of young black men and women.
For those with training and talents, the Nation of Islam had plenty of positions where those
abilities were needed.
There were some registered Muslims who would never reveal their membership, except to other
Muslims, because of their positions in the white man's world. There were, I know, a few, who
because of their positions were known only to their ministers and to Mr. Elijah Muhammad.
In 1961, our Nation flourished. Our newspaper Muhammad Speaks' full back page carried an
architect's drawing of a $20 million Islamic Center proposed to be built in Chicago. Every Muslim
was making personal financial contribution toward the Center. It would include a beautiful
mosque, school, library, and hospital, and a museum documenting the black man's glorious
history.
Mr. Muhammad visited the Muslim countries, and upon his return he directed that we would begin
calling our temples "mosques."
There was a sharp climb now, too, in the number of Muslim-owned small businesses. Our
businesses sought to demonstrate to the black people what black people could do for
themselves-if they would only unify, trade with each other-exclusively where possible-and hire
each other, and in so doing, keep black money within the black communities, just as other
minorities did.
Recordings of Mr. Muhammad's speeches were now regularly being broadcast across America
over small radio stations. In Detroit and Chicago, school-age Muslim children attended our two
Universities of Islam-through high school in Chicago, and through junior high in Detroit. Starting
from kindergarten, they learned of the black man's glorious history and from the third grade they
studied the black man's original language, Arabic.
Mr. Muhammad's eight children now were all deeply involved in key capacities in the Nation of
Islam. I took a deep personal pride in having had something to do with that-at least in some
cases, years before. When Mr. Muhammad had sent me out in his service as a minister, I began
to feel it was a shame that his children worked as some of them then did for the white man, in
factories, construction work, driving taxis, things like that. I felt that I should work for Mr.
Muhammad's family as sincerely as I worked for him. I urged Mr. Muhammad to let me put on a
special drive within our few small mosques, to raise funds which would enable those of his
children working for the white man to be instead employed within our Nation. Mr. Muhammad
agreed, the special fund drive did prove successful, and his children gradually did begin working
for the Nation. Emanuel, the oldest, today runs the dry-cleaning plant. Sister Ethel (Muhammad)
Sharrieff is the Muslim Sisters' Supreme Instructor. (Her husband, Raymond Sharrieff, is
Supreme Captain of the Fruit of Islam.) Sister Lottie Muhammad supervises the two Universities
of Islam. Nathaniel Muhammad assists Emanuel in the dry-cleaning plant. Herbert Muhammad
now publishes Muhammad Speaks, the Nation's newspaper that I began. Elijah Muhammad,
Jr., is the Fruit of Islam Assistant Supreme Captain. Wallace Muhammad was the Philadelphia
Mosque Minister, until finally he was suspended from the Nation along with me-for reasons I will