Hear Him Out: A Summary of the Farrakhan and Don Lemon Interview

Few public figures divide people the way Minister Louis Farrakhan does. Some hear a fearless truth-teller. Others hear someone whose words have hurt many people. I recently watched a long interview in which Don Lemon asks him about nearly all of it.

This article is a summary. It reports what he says, in his own framing, so you can decide for yourself. It is not an endorsement of him or his claims.

The full video is here: Minister Louis Farrakhan and Don Lemon, from the UncutAfrica Live channel. It runs about an hour. That upload adds a short introduction and some viewer commentary at the end.

Answering the charge of antisemitism

Lemon opens by telling him that many people hold negative opinions of him, and gives him a chance to respond.

Farrakhan says, "I've never been an anti-Semite." He says that from the depth of his heart he has never hated Jewish people, and that hating someone for their faith would make him, in his words, less than a Muslim.

He draws a line between hatred and criticism. He says he is critical of Jewish behavior toward black people and toward Palestinians, just as he is critical of America and of his own people. He argues that well-meant criticism should not be treated as hate. He points to former President Jimmy Carter, who he says was also unfairly labeled for writing about Palestinian suffering.

He says he has waited decades for a real dialogue. If someone shows him where he was wrong, he says, he will apologize publicly and ask for forgiveness.

Asked whether he could have phrased things better, he says yes, of course. He says he first came to public attention in the middle of a battle, when people were calling him a "new black Hitler," and that the heat of that moment affected how he spoke.

He also says that critics repeat certain past remarks without the full context. He disputes how those remarks are described.

Context on the criticism

It matters to say what he is responding to. Groups including the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center have long described statements he has made as antisemitic. Many Jewish leaders and others share that view. Farrakhan rejects it.

At one point in this interview he also says the media is controlled by members of the Jewish community. He calls that a fact. That claim is disputed, and critics point to remarks like it as the very reason they object to him. I am including it so the summary is honest about what was said.

His health and recovery

He describes coming back from what he calls death's door after a complex operation. He credits the doctors and nurses, whom he calls "like God's angels." He says his doctor called his recovery nothing short of miraculous.

He says people of many faiths prayed for him, including rabbis. He says that left him feeling committed to everyone who prayed, and that his message should be universal.

Asked if this shows a softer side, he says he does not think about legacy, which he calls vanity. He says he is "an evolving human being," and that the side people see now was always there.

The Iraq war and the Bush administration

Here his tone sharpens. He says President Bush lied to the American people and twisted intelligence to fit a policy already formed. He calls that a high crime, and he says it should lead to impeachment.

He says poor and working people of every color are dying because of that lie, and that the Democrats seem too weak to confront it.

He also speaks about powerful interests behind political leaders, naming international bankers and corporations. These are his views, and he does not offer proof in the interview.

Barack Obama

At the time of the interview Barack Obama is a candidate. Farrakhan says he likes him very much. He says he is not announcing a vote, and that he likes Obama because he is fresh and does not carry the baggage of long-time politicians.

He praises Obama's upbringing and says he can gather young people of every background.

But he says no single president can fix things unless the underlying power structure changes, and he warns that outside powers will try to pull Obama their way.

The Million Man March

Lemon asks whether he looks back fondly on the 1995 Million Man March. He says yes. He explains that it grew from his concern about how black men were portrayed in movies and the media, and about violence in black neighborhoods.

He says nearly two million men showed up, and that lower official estimates were wrong. He says most of those present were Christians, and that afterward some critics turned on him and doors closed.

Language, music, and respect

Farrakhan speaks strongly against the n-word and against degrading language about women. He credits Reverend Jesse Jackson for bringing leaders together on the issue. He says leaders should take an oath to stop using it.

He rejects the idea that the word can be "taken back." He says changing our language changes how we think of one another. He holds up James Brown's "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" as culture lifting people up.

He also talks about music as a bridge. He says he plays the violin and is recording an album.

Malcolm X

Lemon asks him directly about Malcolm X. Farrakhan says he loved Malcolm and would have given his life for him. He says that when Malcolm left the Nation of Islam and criticized Elijah Muhammad, he felt it was his duty to defend his leader.

He says he was, in his own words, "a party to the creation of the atmosphere" in which Malcolm was killed, meaning his words. He denies having any hand in the killing itself.

He says he was never charged, and that he has been quoted only in part. He says the claim arose only after his own rise in the 1980s. His role, and the role of others, has been debated for decades. I am not able to settle it, and this interview does not either.

How he wants to be remembered

Near the end, he says he wants to be remembered as dutiful to God and of service to what he calls the most fallen of his own people. He wants to be remembered as consistent, someone nobody could buy or boss. He says he would like people to know him beyond the "fire and brimstone" image.

He says his greatest regret is the balance in his family life. He says his devotion to the struggle took him away from his wife and children.

What this interview is, and what it isn't

This is one long interview, with one person giving his side. Lemon pushes back at times, but the conversation is mostly Farrakhan speaking.

It is not a fact check. Many of his claims, about the media, about banks, about who is behind political leaders, are his beliefs and are not demonstrated here.

It is also not the whole record. Anyone who wants the full picture should read widely, including voices that disagree with him.

What it does offer is a chance to hear him in his own words, at length, answering hard questions.

Where to find each part in the video

For reference, approximate times in the video. You can skip this part in the audio version.

• Antisemitism and the call for dialogue: about 0:30 to 14:00
• Illness and recovery: about 14:40 to 17:40
• Iraq and the Bush administration: about 19:30 to 24:00
• Barack Obama: about 24:20 to 33:40
• Million Man March: about 34:15 to 40:30
• The n-word and respect for women: about 40:40 to 46:30
• Legacy, music, and sound bites: about 46:40 to 55:30
• Malcolm X: about 55:30 to 60:00
• Family and closing thoughts: about 60:00 to 64:00

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