Christiane Gruber
The Nation of Islam, or NOI, was founded in 1930 as a politico-religious movement for Black empowerment in the United States. From 1960 onward, it intersected with other American liberation, Black Power, and civil rights movements under the auspices of Elijah Muhammad, who served as NOI leader from 1934 until his death in 1975.
While the NOI has been studied by scholars interested in the history of race, religion, and politics in the United States, scant attention has been paid to its visual output such as headgear, clothing, signet rings, logos, and documentary photographs. Moreover, there has been no systematic analysis of the symbolic motifs that place the NOI firmly within an Islamic visual register.
This born-digital exhibition explores how the NOI’s imagery created its distinct identity thanks to the illustrations and cartoons included in its official newspaper Muhammad Speaks, which circulated between 1960 and 1975, as well as its successor, Bilalian News. The project’s contributors tackle a variety of themes, such as Islamic creeds and education; anti-KKK, anti-white, and anti-Christian messages and images; clothing and fashion; agriculture and food; and the NOI’s overarching empowerment concept known as “Do-For-Self.”