Minister Don Muhammad, the decades-long leader of the Nation of Islam’s Boston headquarters and a confidant of Minister Louis Farrakhan died Tuesday. He was 91. Minister Don joined the Nation of Islam in 1957, shortly after moving to Boston from West Virginia.
He distinguished himself from the rest of Boston’s Black leadership, seeking to stop crime by calling for community anti-crime patrols and encouraging economic development by demanding Black ownership and control of stores, housing developments and institutions.
Minister Don excelled as a peacemaker, helping to broker truces between warring gangs and to build bridges between the mosque, the community and the police, and he worked with politicians of all colors and faiths.
In 1992, he said, “We need something that can be showcased.” Referring to the multi-million-dollar Grove Hall Square Project, he added, “People need to see something productive in the Black community.
Minister Don led mosque 11 from the late 1970s and served as a leader of the Nation of Islam on the East Coast. He led the mosque for decades before handing the reins to Minster Randy Muhammad in 2021.
“As the leader of the mosque, Minister Don always had a healthy and good working relationship with everyone,” said Randy Muhammad in 2021. “He was very diplomatic, but in such a beautiful way that he never compromised our core beliefs and principles.”
“He was a voice for the voiceless,” Randy Muhammad added, “and he will be missed.”
The wake for Don Muhammad will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and funeral services will begin at 6 p.m., Friday at the Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan.
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