'With Our God and Our Gun'

In September, hard-line New Black Panther Party leader Khalid Muhammad addressed an all-black crowd in the First Holy Temple of God in Christ in Detroit, covering topics ranging from the evil nature of whites to Muhammad's troubled relationship with his former mentor, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

In his speech, Muhammad announced that the new Panthers would shortly be starting an "international" newspaper, and added that the party has regional headquarters in both New York City and Atlanta.

Here are some of Muhammad's remarks:

I know some of y'all want to be in a family with white folks: "It's not right to leave white people out. We're all one family." That is a lie. We are not one family! ... I'm here to tell you that God has a people, that God has chosen a people. And it's not some hooked-nose, bagel-eatin', lox-eatin', perpetrating-a-fraud, just-crawled-out-of-the-caves-and-hills-of-Europe, so-called, wannabe, imposter Jew! You are the true Jew! You are the true Israelite!

Sisters, I want to say this. We don't believe in sexism. The national chief of staff over all of the chairmen, over all of the chairwomen, over all of the ministers of defense, over all of the brothers and sisters ... is a sister. ... We don't have any egos here. When sisters are in charge, sisters are in charge.

I have to ask you [audience members] something about Black Hebrew Israelite nation [a black nationalist group]. Because you have integrated now, you have let whites in. ... I went in D.C. ... into the soul vegetarian [restaurant]. ... I saw these white folks and I said, "What is this?"... So I'm clowning, and I started talking to those devils. I said, "You work here?" And the devil said, "Yes, but I'm a brother." I said, "You're a brother?" I said, "You ain't no goddamned brother, you just workin' here." ... Then one of the Black Hebrew Israelites came out to defend the devil. He said, "No, no, he's our brother." I said, "Your brother? What happened to the bandit? What happened to the heathen?"

I want to go on to the nation now. I have to be honest. I am shocked. My teacher [Farrakhan] taught me all of this. And now my teacher is saying he is having a Million Family March for all races and all colors. I don't understand that. I don't want to stand with no goddamned devil, at no Million Family March or no damn way. ... Even in the supermarket, I pass by with my basket and damn near run over them. ... I have been taught all my years in the Nation of Islam that the white man is not a devil, the white man is the devil.

So what are you going to do? Are you going to just bend over and pull your pants down and give evil an opening? Or are you going to stand up and fight back? ... When we went to Jasper [Texas], that's what we said: "We come here with our God and our gun."

All these negroes running around, they've got you upset over this flag [holds up Confederate battle flag]. How many Negroes marching, snotting and crying over this flag? That's a Negro who wants to be white, wants to be an American. ... But look at this [holds up a U.S. flag]. Those same Negroes don't say nothing about this flag. ... Now you tell me, which flag drips with more of the blood of the black man and the black woman? ... The American flag!

There's only two kinds of white folks, there's only two kinds, bad white folks and worse white folks. That's the only two kinds of white folks there are. Malcolm [X, a black militant of the 1960s who later softened his stance] used to say, from the teachings of the honorable [Nation founder] Elijah Muhammad, that all white folks are bad. He said if you find one good, kill him first before he turns bad. Because he's only faking.

Whatever organization you are with or whatever religion, finally we have got a black united front that is being formed. ... But we don't accept any white people at all. So your white girlfriend can't come with you, white boyfriend, white wife, they can't come. ... Black power! Black power! Black power!