NOI Series: Part 2 - Waliakbar Muhammad, Photojournalist of Elijah Muhammad

THURS. 12/8/16 8pm EST, Call in# 646-595-4289

The Allah Team Radio presents: The History of the NOI Series

***PART 2*** "An Interview with Waliakbar Muhammad, the Photojournalist for the Hon. Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam"

Waliakbar Muhammad was born in Washington, DC, the grandson of former slaves and the ninth of ten siblings. He attended segregated schools until the fall of 1954. It was right after the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court he became one of the first students to de-segregate public schools in the United States.

Waliakbar didn’t become involved in photojournalist until 1968 after becoming fast friends with Ghayth Nur (FKA Lonnie Kashif), a contributing writer for Muhammad Speaks Newspaper. After concentrating on local photography for a while, Muhammad carried cameras and darkroom equipment to Chicago for the first ever Muslim Parade in the fall of 1969.

February of 1970, Muhammad’s photographs of the annual Muslim Convention were featured on the cover of the Muhammad Speaks. That same year he was hired to work in the Camera & Plate Making department of Muhammad Speaks and moved to Chicago. 

In 1972 he went to work in Muhammad Speaks editorial department. Later he was personally commissioned by Elijah Muhammad to visit NOI (Nation of Islam) Temples throughout the U.S. to document the growth and development of the Muslim community. These photos appeared in the publication’s weekly eight-page pull-out entitled the Progress Section.

After 1975 was given the name Waliakbar and continued to work with the succession of publications that mirrored changes in the Muslim community: Bilalian News, World Muslim News, American Muslim Journal and AM Journal where he served and Editor and Publisher’s Representative from 1981 to 1985; 

co-hosts Brother Wakeel Allah and Brother Understanding Allah