If Francis Can Why Not Farrakhan?

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, (CASCADE PRESS) According to confidential sources, Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam is seeking a Pope Francis type audience with the United States Congress. Sources tell Cascade Press, that Farrakhan has asked members of the Congressional Black Caucus to arrange an address before a joint session of Congress similar to the addresses given by Benjamin Netanyahu on March 3 and Pope Francis last week.

If things pan out, Farrakhan will address the congress on Monday, October 12, two days following the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March, and on the national day set aside to commemorate Christopher Columbus’ arrival on the shores of the Americas.

“Minister Farrakhan wants to present the Muslim Program for solving problems facing the black and poor white communities,” the source said.

“The Nation of Islam is the only organization that has a successful track record in driving violence down and in getting drugs out of our communities,” our source said.

October 16 will mark the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March, however, Farrakhan has elected to observe the anniversary with a reenactment of the march on October 10, on the Mall in the District of Columbus.

The original march was downplayed in the media with speculation that Farrakhan would be an overachiever if 10,000 men showed up. Nearly 1.8 million men with their sons and nephews flooded the Mall from across the country.

This year’s anniversary has not attracted the attention of the national media like 20 years ago when the national media expressed doubts that anyone would travel to the nation’s capital at the request of the Black Muslim leader.

Farrakhan has made good use of social media, which was non existent 20 years ago,  to get the word out about this year’s celebration. He has also embarked upon a taxing speaking tour to the major cities in the country to drum up support for this event. He has spoken in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit. The thrust of his message is that “It will be justice or else,” which is the theme of this anniversary march.

It is not certain when Farrakhan first broached the subject of speaking before a joint session of congress and time may not favor him in receiving an invitation. However, it is interesting to note that in January this year, Pope Francis made it known that he wished to address a joint session of Congress and an invitation was extended to him less than six weeks later.

If Farrakhan is invited he will be only the third person of African ancestry to address a joint session of congress. The other two being, Nelson Mandela, the first African elected President of South Africa and Barack Obama, the first African American elected President of the United States of America.

Harold Michael Harvey, is the author of the legal thriller “Paper Puzzle,” and “Justice in the Round: Essays on the American Jury System,” available at Amazon and at haroldmichaelharvey.com. He can be contacted at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com