In my previous article called "Gathering Scattered Dust" I ended by stating that "We must either move closer together to form a community or we must completely change the mindset of the communities in which we live, if we want sustainable economic development." As an individual I can only suggest that enlightened people move closer together. So how does one "change the mindset" of a community.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad in his monumental book, Message to the Black Man on page 186 quoted a Mr. Henry Berry, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1832 as saying: "We have as far as possible, closed every avenue by which light may enter the slaves mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be complete; they would then be on a level with the beast of the field and we should be safe."

 The enemy was bent on producing and keeping a perpetual slave by depriving him of "light", knowledge. However, within this statement of evil intent is the key to changing the mindset of these same people who they intended to render as "beasts". Teach them truth.

Today, the iron shackles have been removed but the mental and economic shackles remain, strengthened by ignorance. In slavery the slave got some bad food, old clothes and a place to stay. He did not have to get a ride to work because he lived on the plantation. Of course at the end of his life he had nothing to pass on to his children, not even a job on the plantation. Often times the slave master would sell the children off to another plantation.

 In the modern form of economic slavery, Black people are paid wages, but 3/5th of his or her white counterpart. With these wages he must now pay rent or a mortgage, buy and clean his own clothes, and buy his own food. Now of course he must have a car to get to work and yet at the end of his life he has nothing to pass on to his children, not even a job at the plant. They have moved the plants overseas.

 I have a Ph.D. in agricultural economics and I have yet to find any program for economic development that will uplift Black people from this state of modern economic slavery other than the program of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. And the only way to get this light along with current events that bear witness to the need for such a program to the minds of Black people is through the distribution of the Final Call Newspaper. This paper not only presents the "news" but gives commentary and explanations of the news in light of the needs and situations that Black people find ourselves in. The back inside cover of this newspaper highlights the Honorable Elijah Muhammads program under the titles of "What the Muslims Want" and "What the Muslims Believe".

I manage a farm, Muhammad Farms, in rural Southwest Georgia.There are not a lot of street corners on which to sell the Final Call. However, I travel to many little towns to distribute this paper because I do not know another way to put light inside my peoples heads that will turn them in a direction wherein I as a farmer can serve them. I can not serve them if they eat at the fastfood restaurants or buy prepackaged processed foods from the numerous supermarkets in the area, none owned by Blacks. Of course we could sell all of our produce to the "system". However, our produce would be adulterated and processed to produce the poisoned foods that are causing Black people to die at an early age. So we prefer not to supply the "merchants of death", but produce wholesome food and sell it directly to our people.

In my previous article called "Gathering Scattered Dust" I ended by stating that "We must either move closer together to form a community or we must completely change the mindset of the communities in which we live, if we want sustainable economic development." As an individual I can only suggest that enlightened people move closer together. So how does one "change the mindset" of a community. The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad in his monumental book, Message to the Black Man on page 186 quoted a Mr. Henry Berry, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1832 as saying: "We have as far as possible, closed every avenue by which light may enter the slaves mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be complete; they would then be on a level with the beast of the field and we should be safe." The enemy was bent on producing and keeping a perpetual slave by depriving him of "light", knowledge. However, within this statement of evil intent is the key to changing the mindset of these same people who they intended to render as "beasts". Teach them truth.

Today, the iron shackles have been removed but the mental and economic shackles remain, strengthened by ignorance. In slavery the slave got some bad food, old clothes and a place to stay. He did not have to get a ride to work because he lived on the plantation. Of course at the end of his life he had nothing to pass on to his children, not even a job on the plantation. Often times the slave master would sell the children off to another plantation. In the modern form of economic slavery, Black people are paid wages, but 3/5th of his or her white counterpart. With these wages he must now pay rent or a mortgage, buy and clean his own clothes, and buy his own food. Now of course he must have a car to get to work and yet at the end of his life he has nothing to pass on to his children, not even a job at the plant.

They have moved the plants overseas. I have a Ph.D. in agricultural economics and I have yet to find any program for economic development that will uplift Black people from this state of modern economic slavery other than the program of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. And the only way to get this light along with current events that bear witness to the need for such a program to the minds of Black people is through the distribution of the Final Call Newspaper. This paper not only presents the "news" but gives commentary and explanations of the news in light of the needs and situations that Black people find ourselves in. The back inside cover of this newspaper highlights the Honorable Elijah Muhammads program under the titles of "What the Muslims Want" and "What the Muslims Believe".