This sheet of paper would not be big enough to write all the praises and thanks to Allah (God) for awakening in me the desire to strive to live up to the way in which Allah desires for us to live; and how Allah not only sent someone with a writing but placed the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Louis Farrakhan in our midst as examples. Allah not only gave us these men but He prepared helpers for these men, such as Min. Abdullah Muhammad, brother Min. Ishmael Muhammad and our local Min. Louis Muhammad. My appreciation to Bro. Louis is so great that all I can say is that most times we do not recognize when we have a diamond amongst us.

I have seen this brother come to us (in F.C.I. Elkton) limping due to injuries in his knees. I have known of this brother being fired from his job, for not being able to work overtime because he told his boss that his overtime is to see that we in prison get the message that Allah has put in his mouth from Min. Farrakhan. I have seen this brother weep on the podium from seeing our condition in the belly of the beast. I thank Allah for allowing us to see, not only the love of our Leader for us, but for transmitting that kind of love to all of you that have come to help Min. Farrakhan in his assignment.

The depth of my gratitude is enormous. I am a Black man, born in the Dominican Republic. For so many years, I thought that I was Spanish, Hispanic, dark Indian and so on. I was taught to regard Spain as a mother nation that gave birth to my being a Dominican, and to be thankful to the Spaniards for giving us civilization. I was taught to disconnect myself from my brothers on the other part of the island, which is called Haiti. In the eyes of those that have a little more light skin and speak Spanish, they see themselves as being better than our brothers that speak French or "Creole" on the other part of the same island.

Ever since my first encounter with the teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, as taught by the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, my whole life has changed for the better. I no longer use the word "I" but I use the word "we." I have stopped eating pork. I stopped eating meat altogether, and even fish, after I heard Min. Farrakhan in 1998 expressing his desire to see his followers practicing a vegetarian diet. Although I never smoked, I started teaching people about the dangers of smoking and a lifestyle contrary to Allah. I started exercising my body and loving myself.

These are only a few things which I have to be thankful to Allah and His Servants. I hope and pray to Allah that He will keep blessing us with His Spirit and that He will find me worthy of being called one of His servants.