The Final Call

Honoring Elijah: C.R.O.E.’s Work Bring Honor And Friendships In All Walks Of Life

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(L) Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle addresses CROE 30th anniversary celebration March 5, 2017. Photos: Haroon Rajaee (Top Right) Guest and right, Prince Asiel Ben Israel. (Bottom Right) Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown and Rep. Danny K. Davis

(CW from Left) Munir Muhammad and daughter, Aginah M. Muhammad | Phil Jackson | Jonathan Jackson | C.R.O.E. 30th anniversary guests.

(L) Actor Harry Lennix paid tribute to the Hon. Elijah Muhammad as guest speaker for C.R.O.E. celebration. (R) Wasim Muhammad and Munir Muhammad with proclamation saluting 30 years of service.

CHICAGO

Attendees from various walks of life came to celebrate and honor the incredible works of the patriarch of the Nation of Islam and C.RO.E.’s effort to preserve and propagate that work. Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans, State Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, a host of local judges; Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown; Alderman David Moore; Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White; Congressman Danny K. Davis; Village of East Hazel Crest, Ill., Trustee Maureen Moe Forté; and actors Cynda Williams and Harry Lennix, who delivered the keynote address, were present. Activist Phillip Jackson, of The Black Star Project, and Dr. Terry Mason participated in the reception. Expressions of support came from President of City Council Frank Moreno and Dana Redd, mayor of Camden, N.J.

Other guests included business people, community and political leaders, religious leaders, city officials as well as Aminah and Aginah Muhammad, wife and daughter of Munir Muhammad. Aminah Muhammad is an organizer at C.R.O.E. and entrepreneur. Their daughter, Aginah, is a doctor and director of the Council on Teacher Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and an adjunct faculty member at the Chicago School Professional Psychology.

Munir Muhammad is a business manager, talk-show host for C.R.O.E. TV, and has conducted some 5,000 interviews. And he has been interviewed on talk shows and news outlets, while conducting many interviews with the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan over the years. He has been active in promoting the mission and teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad since 1987. He joined the Nation of Islam in 1972. What made him particularly happy about the fundraiser was the opportunity for different people to come together, interact and connect with one another.

Halif Muhammad works hand-in-hand with Munir Muhammad as co-founder and secretary for C.R.O.E. “I’m hoping that people will leave here inspired by what we show in our everyday lives, that we don’t have to shield the Honorable Elijah Muhammad,” he told The Final Call. People who associate with Messenger Muhammad should be proud and straightforward because of what he represents, said Halif Muhammad.

“A lot of what you saw tonight was a result of some of the friendships we have made—I can’t tell you the number of prominent people that supported us. That’s the beautiful thing about our event; we don’t go downtown with it, we use it truly as a fundraiser,” he added.

A delightful buffet of fruit, fresh salads, fish, chicken, bean soup and farina bread, pastas and an array of desserts were prepared for guests. For the remainder of the evening, Munir Muhammad encouraged C.R.O.E. supporters to engage and introduce themselves to one another.

Harry Lennix, an accomplished actor born and raised in Chicago and who recently starred in the TV series “The Blacklist,” felt very humbled during the March 5 reception.

“If you look at the program of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad set forth since 1933, those principles and the people that have adhered to them have proof positive of what the best possible world would be for Black people in the wilderness of the United States of America,” he said after being introduced by Munir Muhammad.

In an interview with The Final Call he stated, “[So] for 30 years of excellent work in the community and throughout the nation, to some extent throughout the world, being here to express my support and my congratulations to the founders and members of C.R.O.E. seem to me an obligation.”

In an interview from C.R.O.E. TV that was uploaded shortly before the reception, Minister Farrakhan stressed the importance of engaging with those who support the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. “God gave the Honorable Elijah Muhammad a whole nation of people and it is our duty to lift him up that he may draw them unto him and offer them their inheritance which is the Mind of God Himself,” the Minister stated. He also commended C.R.O.E. and efforts by Munir Muhammad and staff. “C.R.O.E. has been a repository of the words, the teachings, the image of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam and all of those of us who submitted to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and helped him build the Nation of Islam.”

Rita Gayle, from London, has been traveling to Chicago for many years. She was very impressed by the accomplishments of C.R.O.E. “I’ve tried as much as I can to come as much as I can in person to support the Founder’s Day event because I think it’s important for people to see that individuals such as myself are traveling in. And I think it makes an impression so that people get a sense of how C.R.O.E. is working not only locally, nationally but also internationally bringing people together from all walks of life,” she said.

The Coalition for the Remembrance of Elijah Muhammad strives to deliver the teachings and accomplishments of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad in a way that welcomes everyone to study the man and his work. C.R.O.E., which has a TV studio next door to the auditorium and archive, hosts radio and television shows that are available via its website and features movie screenings open to the public the last Saturday of the month. C.R.O.E. programs also air on Chicago cable television and on other cable networks in the United States.

For more information, visit www.croe.org or call (773) 925-1600.