Farrakhan sees a new opening for black separatist message
Source: Associated Press
Farrakhan sees a new opening for black separatist message
By SOPHIA TAREEN AND RACHEL ZOLL
Dec. 18, 2016 1:51 PM EST
CHICAGO (AP) Minister Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, spoke from a podium draped in the red, black and green of the Pan-African flag, a symbol of black pride.
It was the week after Donald Trump won the presidency. The result had delighted a new generation of white supremacists, and Farrakhan was analyzing the political landscape.
In a speech before the State of the Black World Conference in New Jersey, he warned, "The white man is going to push. He's putting in place the very thing that will limit the freedom of others." Then he pointed to the crowd, smiled and said, "That's what you needed," as motivation to finally separate from whites.
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Some watchdogs who monitor Farrakhan say his latest appeal is a desperate grasp at significance for a group far from its heyday. However, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremism, has found black separatism growing alongside white supremacy, creating a more favorable environment for the Nation's teachings.
"Racial nationalism of all kinds is on the rise," said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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