'Freeway' Ricky Ross visits Mosque Maryam

By Tariqah Shakir-Muhammad -The Final Call- | Last updated: Jul 27, 2017 - 3:44:30 PM

Photos: Haroon Rajaee

CHICAGO—One-time notorious drug dealer turned author, entrepreneur and community leader, Ricky Donnell Ross, also known as “Freeway Rick Ross” visited Mosque Maryam, the international headquarters of the Nation of Islam and shared remarks about his personal growth, development and respect for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Mr. Ross is among the rarity of men who turned their lives around from drugs and intoxicants and is using his experience as a platform to heal and rebuild Black communities.

During his July 16 visit, Mr. Ross explained he was introduced to Min. Farrakhan in 1992 when he was heavily invested in crime and drug-dealership. During his incarceration in 1996, he was deeply touched and inspired by the way the Minister spoke. “I heard this Black man that spoke like no other Black man I ever heard before,” he told the audience.

He reminisced on the Minister’s words, “guard your kingdom.” The “kingdom,” Mr. Ross explained, represents our spiritual and mental state. He believes guarding it means to eliminate negative influences in life and what is projected throughout society.

His memoir, “Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography,” details the great conspiracy of the U.S. government to destroy the Black community through crack cocaine.

“I’ve taken it on myself to go around the country and try the best that I can to combat what they’re doing,” he stated. Mr. Ross believes younger generations are specifically targeted with images of drug dealing as a way of making a living. “This system programs us to believe things about ourselves that ain’t necessarily true and if you buy into it, then you start to act out who you think you’re supposed to be,” he said.

“Planting seeds in someone’s mind is a powerful thing. All the Minister had to do was plant a seed into me that I wasn’t a n---a.” After the Sunday program, which featured the keynote address by Student Minister Ishmael R. Muhammad, Mr. Ross went next door to Muhammad University of Islam and signed copies of his book.

His desire is to be an inspirational mentor for people and leave a legacy other than the one he left before hearing Min. Farrakhan, he said.

Mr. Ross signed copies of his book, "Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography" at Muhammad University of Islam.

Read more on "Crack, The CIA And Black America's Drug Crisis" https://goo.gl/mzcQAh

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