Farrakhan, Louis (fâr`əkăn', fär`əkän'), 1933–, African-American religious leader, b. New York City, as Louis Eugene Walcott. A former calypso singer known as "The Charmer," he joined the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims Black Muslims, African-American religious movement in the United States, split since 1976 into the American Muslim Mission and the Nation of Islam. The original group was founded (1930) in Detroit by Wali Farad (or W. D.
..... Click the link for more information. ) in 1955, eventually becoming minister of the Harlem Temple after Malcolm X Malcolm X, 1925–65, militant black leader in the United States, also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, b. Malcolm Little in Omaha, Neb. He was introduced to the Black Muslims while serving a prison term and became a Muslim minister upon his release in 1952.
..... Click the link for more information. broke with the religious group. After Elijah Muhammad Muhammad, Elijah, 1897–1975, American black-nationalist and religious leader, b. near Sandersville, Ga. Originally named Elijah Poole, he left home at 16 and worked at various jobs. In 1923 he settled in Detroit and became an automobile assembly-line worker.
..... Click the link for more information. died and his son steered the Black Muslims toward Sunni Sunni (s

`nī) [Arab.
..... Click the link for more information. Islamic practice, Farrakhan founded (1977) a reorganized Nation of Islam that adhered to the elder Muhammad's teachings. Often denounced as anti-Semitic and antiwhite, Farrakhan has stridently criticized white Americans while emphasizing African-American self-improvement. In 1995 he was one of the chief organizers of the Million Man March, a day of renewal for African-American men in Washington, D.C. In 2000, Farrakhan publicly reconciled with W. Deen Mohammed, Elijah's son. In 2006, Farrakhan, suffering from illness, gave the day-to-day responsibilities for running the Nation of Islam to its executive board.

Farrakhan, Louis

orig. Louis Eugene Walcott

(born May 11, 1933, Bronx, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. religious leader. He joined the Nation of Islam in 1955, and for a time he assisted Malcolm X in Boston. After Malcolm converted to Sunni Islam, Farrakhan denounced him and replaced him as minister of Mosque No. 7 in Harlem. Farrakhan later expressed regret at having contributed to the climate of antagonism that preceded Malcolm's assassination in 1965. When Warith Deen Mohammed, Elijah Muhammad's successor as leader of the Nation of Islam, gradually began integrating the organization into the orthodox Muslim community, Farrakhan broke away and formed his own organization, also called the Nation of Islam (1978). A compelling orator whose rhetoric often descended into overt anti-Semitism, Farrakhan was nonetheless effective in encouraging African American self-reliance and unity. He was the main organizer of the Million Man March on Washington, D.C., in 1995. In 2000 Farrakhan and Mohammed recognized each other as fellow Muslims, and Farrakhan subsequently moved his group closer to orthodox Islam and moderated his racial remarks.

Farrakhan, Louis (b. Louis Eugene Walcott) (1933– ) Black Muslim leader; born in the Bronx, N.Y. He grew up in Roxbury, Mass., and was converted to the Nation of Islam by Malcolm X. Following Malcolm X's defection (1963–64), Farrakhan became the national representative for Elijah Muhammad. When Elijah Muhammad's son allowed whites to join the movement (after 1975), Farrakhan split away and formed a revitalized movement, Final Call to the Nation of Islam. An eloquent and persuasive speaker, he continued to work for black separatism and black economic power. Although he denied being antiwhite or anti-Semitic, he often employed an abrasive rhetoric that alienated such groups, as when he made derogatory statements about Jews during the 1984 presidential primaries on behalf of Reverend Jesse Jackson. In the 1990s, however, Farrakhan began to soften his message and image, and, reviving a talent he had as a young man, even began to play the violin in classical concerts to show that he was not totally opposed to whites and their culture.