A Soulful Noise
What Does Erykah Mean By 'Savior's Day'?
Today, February 26th, is not only Erykah Badu's 37th birthday, which she is marking by releasing her fifth album unto the masses, but today is also Savior's Day. Judging from this advertisement for New AmErykah, Ms. Badu would like for more of her fans to know about this day as well. Savior's Day is not some figment of Erykah's imagination, and it not related to Juneteenth or New Year's Day (the actual day when slaves were declared free in 1863), despite her declaring that on this day slaves and slavemasters will be free. Savior's Day is the annual holiday celebrated by members of the Nation of Islam, as today is the birthday of Wallace Fard Muhammad, the founder of the Nation of Islam. Until the death of Elijah Muhammad, Wallace Fard Muhammad's successor, in 1975, Savior's Day was held annually in Chicago. Upon Elijah Muhammad's death, his son W. Deen Muhammad was named as his successor. W. Deen Muhammad, who had been raised as a Sunni Muslim, disbanded the NOI until it was reformed under a new spiritual leader who leads to this day, Louis Farrakhan. Interestingly enough, many believed that Muhammad Ali would be named as leader of the NOI if Farrakhan was not named as Elijah Muhammad's successor in 1975.
I'm not quite sure if Erykah is a Muslim within the NOI or if she just finds some truth within its tenets. Either way, it's a nice gesture by Erykah to end Black History Month off right, both by celebrating her new release and also calling attention to this oft-overlooked holiday.
This year, the Savior's Day celebration is again in Chicago. Video of Farrakhan delivering the keynote speech can be seen here.
Tags: du day, erykah badu, muhammad ali
Comments
Can anyone can tell me what's up with the chanting on her CDs lately? I'm a full-blown Christian, and I do respect other religions as long as they align with the Bible.
Mr. Lowe | February 27, 2008 8:30 PM | PermalinkI absolutely love how you broke down the meaning. Alot of people were unfamiliar with what exactly she was talking about so its glad to see that some people are in the loop. Also if you listen to her song "Solider" you will hear how she says "bow ties with the final call -get your dollar yall." This displays how she is clearly paying homage to the Nation of Islam on this is album.
www.mymoodismusic.com
MMM | February 27, 2008 3:52 PM | PermalinkThank you for that post, I was wondering about that...I did notice that she mentioned Farrakahn in one of her songs on this CD.
Ms. Nique | February 27, 2008 2:40 PM | PermalinkVery important and insightful post, Ill Mami.
PurpleZoe | February 26, 2008 5:37 PM | PermalinkThankyou for extending it.