1984-April-13

A.M. Journal

Muhammad Speaks

Imam W. Deen Muhammad

On the Sister Clara Muhammad Memorial Education Foundation's Benefit

WDM: I can agree with the sisters of the foundation and my wife, Shirley, president of the foundation. Shirley who said right after the affair that she felt so good about this year's annual benefit.

She said "we think this is the best one we've had." And I think that's what most of us feel, this was the best one.

I think it is the one perhaps with the best attendance, the best support, the most ticket sales.

On matching the foundation's contribution to Fisk University.

WDM: I've always felt that our fund raising efforts in the community—not just the Clara Muhammad Foundation, I am talking about the masjid—that our efforts to support education shouldn't be limited to the American Muslim Mission membership.

I felt we have an obligation as charity giving people to help the badly needed African-American or Black colleges.

I have always felt that and I have appreciated the foundation even more because they have taken that up as one of their charities. So I said well we can't match funds like the government, we can't match funds like some of these big foundations, but we have a little bit so I think that's a good thing to establish for our community. When we see struggling desperate efforts by the poor of our community to support worthy causes, and if our community funds can match their efforts, it will encourage them and that would be good.