Find more Left of Black here: https://fhi.duke.edu/programs/left-black
Back in 1985, Nation of Islam's leader, Louis Farrakhan, claimed to have a vision of entering into a mother wheel akin to appearance as what many would call a UFO. His assertion follows a tradition in the religious group of Black bodies transcending this earthly plane as another means of seeing Black people outside of the lens of white supremacy. But what were the relationships between the Nation's four most prominent leaders: The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, his son, Warith Deen Mohammed (who left NOI several times), slain Civil Rights icon Malcolm X, and the nigh-messianic Louis Farrakhan? Dr. Stephen C. Finley, Inaugural Chair, Department of African and African American Studies at Louisiana State University, joins Dr. Neal for a lively discussion about the Nation of Islam's tradition of seeking the Mother Wheel and what that means for African Americans.

Learn more about Dr. Finley here: https://www.lsu.edu/hss/aaas/faculty/...

Find his book here: https://www.dukeupress.edu/in-and-out...

Directed, produced, and edited by Eric Barstow, M.F.A

Left of Black is a web series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars produced by the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University.

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