Inside the Nation of Islam: a historical and personal testimony by a Black Muslim

270 Pages·2001·5.41 MB·English

by  Vibert L. White (Jr.)

NATION OF ISLAM
I n s i d e t h e
A
A
Historical
Historical
and
and
Personal
Personal
Testimony
oTefs taimony by
Vibert L. White Jr.
Foreword by Mike Wallace, CBS, 60 Minutes
Inside the Nation of Islam
UWF UNIVERSITYPRESS
FSU FAMU UNF OF
TAETS UF UCF FLOARDI
U USF
NIVERSITYSYSTEM FGCUFIFUAU
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola

Inside the
Nation of Islam
A Historical and Personal Testimony
by a Black Muslim
Vibert L. White Jr.
University Press of Florida
Gainesville ·Tallahassee ·Tampa ·Boca Raton
Pensacola ·Orlando ·Miami ·Jacksonville ·Ft. Myers
Copyright 2001 by Vibert L. White Jr.
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
All rights reserved
06 05 04 03 02 01 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
White, Vibert L., Jr.
Inside the Nation of Islam: a historical and personal testimony by a
Black Muslim / Vibert L. White, Jr.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8130-2082-4 (alk. paper)
1. Nation of Islam (Chicago, Ill.)—History. 2. Black Muslims—History.
3. Farrakhan, Louis. I. Title.
BP221.A1 W47 2001
297.8'7—dc21 2001027590
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for
the State University System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M Uni-
versity, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University,
Florida International University, Florida State University, University
of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida,
University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
To my wonderful wife, Alessandra
To my parents,
Vibert and Lorraine White
Thanks.
A father’s love to Jira´, Kyle, Jarvis, Sherman

We will declare the truth and die for it.
Thanks to Allah for removing fear from us, and I pray
He puts it in them and may they fear and tremble every day.
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad,
Message to the Blackman in America

Contents
Foreword xi
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
1. Early American Islam: The Building Blocks for
the Nation of Islam 3
2. Allah Meets His Messenger 15
3. Malcolm: Mentor, Rival, Enemy 34
4. Personal Testimony 42
5. Seventy-Ninth and Emerald 61
6. Conflict, Religion, and the Ministry 79
7. Farrakhan Speaks: Conventions, Rallies, and Savior’s Day 97
8. Cain and Abel: Division in the Brotherhood 143
9. The Story behind the Million Man March 159
10. Farrakhan’s World Tours 187
11. A New Nation: The Millennium 202
Epilogue: Where Do We Go from Here? 209
Notes 223
Bibliography 235
Index 251