New Year's Resolutions
Elijah Muhammad addressing an assembly of the Nation of Islam in 1964, Courtesy of Library of Congress
By 1960, the Nation of Islam had an estimated membership of 50,000 to 70,000 people. Converts removed pork and alcohol from their diet and ate one meal a day. They abstained from gambling, smoking, drinking, overeating, and buying on credit. As a result, most rank-and-file members enjoyed a healthy standard of living and still had enough money left to support the organization. It seemed interesting to me that the practices that its members committed to sound similar to some of the New Year’s resolutions that many folks have tried to make and keep.
