Elijah Muhammad Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975), the Minister of the "Lost-Found Nation of Islam in the Wilderness of North America", preached a strict religious code, segregation of the races and Black economic self-reliance. The Muslims operated businesses in Chicago and other major cities, creating a fund that helped Black families move from slums into modern housing in desirable neighborhoods. The son of a former slave, Elijah Poole was a Detroit autoworker when he changed his name and became the leader of the Nation of Islam in 1934, claiming to be the divinely appointed "Messenger" of Allah. At first, Muhammad was faced with dissension among the Muslims, but his imprisonment during WWII for failing to comply with the Selective Service Act made him a martyr and united his followers. The Nation gained national attention in the early 1960s, when Muhammad made the charismatic Malcolm X the organization's chief spokesman.