Minister Farrakhan responds to a question from Peter Bailey, president of the Association of Black Journalists, at their conference in New York City, May 3, 1984.

Transcript:

Peter Bailey: And I want to ask you how you respond to that? That the movement is larger than (presidential hopeful Reverend) Jesse Jackson or Minister Farrakhan or anyone else? And that if the movement, this political movement is being hurt by your support? Not that you should drop support, but that you should kind of fade into the background. I’d like you to respond to that.

Min. Farrakhan: I think that’s a very good question. Everybody hear it. (Audience responds Yes). I wrestled with that. I wrestled with that, Brother Peter.

The question is Who have I hurt Reverend Jackson with? Is that a bourgeois person that you're talking to? Is that some pseudo-intellectual who has some stake in the status quo? Is that some blind politician? Who is this?

See, I have to know who is making a statement. Because the masses of the people, that’s where it is, are saying “Right on Brother.” (Applause) That's what the masses are saying.

See, what most of you may not know, this has never been a political campaign. This is a spiritual campaign couched in political terms, because politics...have never engendered this kind of spirit in the people, because raw politicians are too deceitful to get this kind of spiritual backing from the masses of the people.

It is a spiritual campaign that has triggered something deeper in the people than a political thing. And so my question is, and I questioned myself—Should I back away from my brother? Did my statements hurt Reverend Jackson? If my statements were left alone by the press you wouldn’t have ever known I’d made the statement. Because I didn’t make my statement on his platform, I made it on my own, talking to my own people, on a radio station I paid for with our money. (Applause) You understand.

My constituency is not that large. Newsweek Magazine was at that building that day, heard my remarks, got the tape turned it over. This is alright with me. Then two days before the New York primary Newsweek came out with it, NBC came out with the statement. Then put the statement in a way to hurt Reverend Jackson.

Just remember that, I didn’t hurt the man. My statements all over America have helped Reverend Jackson and I don’t want to be vain here, but I know what I mean to this campaign. And many of you know what I mean to this campaign if you look.

So the question is if I back away from Reverend Jackson how would it be interpreted by the people that have been inspired by our unity? How would that be interpreted? And which means more? What means more?

Somebody asked me the other night, “Don’t you feel Mister Farrakhan that you are an albatross around Jesse’s neck?”

In other words Mister Farrakhan, aren’t you hurting his campaign? I said his campaign for what? They said the presidency of the United States.

(Min. Farrakhan responded) Oh, did you think that he was going to win? (Audience laughter.) You didn’t give him a chance to win. You don’t give him a chance now to be the nominee of the party so how is Farrakhan hurting him? Farrakhan has helped to make the movement that is bringing him to San Francisco with power in his own Black community.

I don’t buy that crap. I hurt nobody I’m a helper. (applause) The hurt is from the media...and from Negroes.