Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Farrakhan seeks support from Detroiters

Nation of Islam leader hopes to draw African-American men to October rally in Washington.

By Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News

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Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan sought support from Metro Detroiters on Tuesday night for his new initiative, the Millions More Movement.

Farrakhan, who organized the Million Man March that drew hundreds of thousands of African-American men to Washington, D.C., in 1995, said his new initiative will be more inclusive and is aimed at empowering Americans, particularly minorities, with a new political and economic agenda.

The Millions More Movement will kick off with a rally Oct. 15 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., he said.

"The movement is different than a march," Farrakhan told a crowd of about 3,000 people who packed the Fellowship Chapel church on West Outer Drive in northwest Detroit for his two-hour speech. "A movement suggests a starting point and a goal to which we move towards."

Farrakhan said the movement is geared towards all Americans from every background.

"The challenge for us is to rise above our differences," he said. "We have many differences but it's not bigger than the cause."

"A gay or lesbian brother or sister cannot be denied presence in a movement that is for all of our people," he said.

"I'm not asking nobody when they come 'What is your sexual preference?'"

Farrakhan said he's not looking to make money from the movement. "I'm looking for salvation of our nation," he said.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, and other leaders also attended the event.

In 1995, Farrakhan urged African-Americans at the Million Man March to take responsibility for their lives, families and communities. He noted this year marks the 10th anniversary of that gathering.

He said many of the black men who attended the Million Man March went back to their communities with goals of becoming better husbands and fathers.

In his speech, Farrakhan also took aim at the U.S.-led war in Iraq.The Iraq war is not "a war against Saddam Hussein, but it is a war against Islam," he charged.

You can reach Oralandar Brand-Williams at (313) 222-2027 or bwilliams@detnews.com.