CHICAGO�A kindred spirit dwelled over an inter-religious, inter-racial gathering of community and national leadership here Oct. 23 as the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan called for massive mobilization of the people as a follow-up to the recent Million Family March (MFM).

Flanked by dignitaries at the head table, including a former and two current members of Congress, Min. Farrakhan called for a large voter turn-out and reiterated his call for the establishment of an MFM Economic Development Fund.

He also spoke about the escalating violence between Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East.

Concerning politics, Min. Farrakhan said the apathy in the masses of voters for this 2000 election is comparable to that of the 1996 election when 51 percent of eligible voters did not vote.

"The problem is that people have voted and have not realized from their vote what they expected, so they have lost the spirit to engage in this important voting process," he said.

The spirit can be re-energized by understanding "what we are doing and why we are doing it and why it is in our best interest," he said.

Min. Farrakhan said a people�s movement must be organized so that the people can punish politicians who say things in order to get "candy" from the "baby�s hand," explaining that many politicians say whatever sounds good to get votes.

He said he intends to be "a voice for the voiceless poor of this nation and the world who are crying out." He suggested that after the Nov. 7 elections, the Black, the brown, the red, the yellow and the poor whites be mobilized into a force that says "no candy unless we see real change."

"We are the real government, and if something is distasteful to us � then we as a body should have the power to cut off what is being fed to us," he said.

The convener of the Million Family March re-announced the establishment of an MFM Economic Development Fund inaugurated at the Oct. 16 march. The fund, established at Seaway National Bank in Chicago, will be in trust for one year, Min. Farrakhan explained, and then used to promote development and establish businesses and industry in economically deprived communities.

Black people are rich, he said, but the poverty that exists in Black communities is due to a "poverty of ignorance, and a poverty of spirit."

"Any time $550 billion can come through our hands in one year, we are not poor," he said. "But something is wrong with us that we are not using our own economic strength to our advantage."

He asked that march attendees, entertainers, and other interested parties contribute $100 (or more) to the not-for-profit fund between now and Oct. 16, 2001 to help reach a goal of $1 billion.

Min. Farrakhan introduced the fund�s board members: U.S. Representative Earl Hilliard (D-Ala.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Task Force for the Million Family March; retired Congressman the Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy of New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.; attorney Rose Sanders of Selma, Ala.; activist Viola Plummer, co-founder of the December 12th Movement in New York; Nation of Islam Chief of Staff Leonard F. Muhammad; and Nation of Islam attorney Arif Muhammad.

Min. Farrakhan said that Black Entertainment Television President Bob Johnson has accepted to be on the advisory board.

Min. Farrakhan added that since he announced the Fund at the Million Family March, donations are already pouring into Seaway National Bank.

Concerning the conflict in Israel, Min. Farrakhan compared the Palestinian existence to apartheid in South Africa. He warned that injustice is the basis for the "insanity" that is gripping the Holy Land.

"The Palestinians have been dealt a severe blow when land was taken from them to form the state of Israel," Min. Farrakhan said. "The Arab world felt this was an injustice. Of course, when you believe religiously that this land belongs to you by the Holy Word, then you invoke the name of God to do what you do.

"Well, if you really want to invoke the name of God, that land belongs neither to Palestinians or Jews. It belongs to the righteous. If you are a righteous Jew, a righteous Christian, a righteous Muslim, that�s your home. But if you hold up these names but you are not acting according to the laws, statutes and commandments of God, that land will spit you out because it is the heart of the earth," he said.

He asked that if the Jewish people have desired a state of their own that is sovereign with their own flag to be a self-determined people, is not this right for the Palestinians as well?

Among the many community, religious and political dignitaries attending the press conference were Mufti Sheik Nafigulla Ashirov, chairman of the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Asiatic Part of Russia, and co-chairman of the Mufties Council of Russia; the Rev. Walter L. Coleman of Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago; Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.); the Rev. Maxine Walker; and Dr. Billy McCormack of Shreveport, La., and board member of the Christian Coalition co-founded by Rev. Pat Robertson.

Min. Farrakhan thanked the Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon of the World Family Federation Church for World Peace for their financial assistance in helping to make the Million Family March a reality.

At the conclusion of the press conference, several speakers addressed the media and audience seated in the Salaam Restaurant Grand Ballroom.

Host Congressman Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Congressman Hilliard thanked Min. Farrakhan for his far-reaching vision of bringing America together.

The Rev. Fauntroy of Washington, D.C., who was instrumental in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.�s 1963 March on Washington, and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Dr. King would have been proud of the Million Family March because it symbolized the "reaching of the mountaintop."

Billy McCormack of the Christian Coalition, told The Final Call that he had been misinformed about Min. Farrakhan.

"But when I heard that Min. Farrakhan had called for an agenda of love and reconciliation of the races, I knew I had to come and express my gratitude for this kind of love that he�s expressing. He�s the one man that has the ear of so many people in America and to have an agenda that is specializing in reconciliation, I had to come and show my support for that.

"We (Christian Coalition) have been stereotyped quite well through the media as someone that�s not acting in all people�s best interest, but my being here is an indication that we stand for the rights of all people. When there is issued forth a call for all people to work together and love one another for the Kingdom of God, this is what we want to be a part of," he said.

Contributions to the Million Family March Economic Development Fund can be sent to: Seaway National Bank of Chicago, c/o Million Family March, P.O. Box 19522, Chicago, IL 60649.