And Minister Conrad Tillard, formerly Minister Conrad Mohamed, was once a rising star in the nation of Islam,

the minister of mosque number seven in Harlem,

where Malcolm X and Minister Farrakhan once preached.

But Conrad left the nation and eventually became a Christian minister.

I asked him why he left the nation of Islam.

Leaving the nation. Yes. Was there an issue with Farrakhan? Was there a

was there a disillusionment with the nation in general.

You talk about Khalid Mohammed

had famously said some really,

some controversial things that,

you know, are you saying that you didn't like the direction of the nation or you didn't like some of the things that Farrakhan was taking the nation toward?

Well, what I'm saying it was a very intense time and, you know, people have to understand.

I became a member of the nation as a college student and, you know, one of the people who was also one of my teachers, very influential in my political

development was Fami Turei Stokley Carmine.

And one of the things he said to me when I was contemplating leaving the nation,

I met with him up on Convin Avenue in his apartment, his mom's apartment. And he said, you know, black people don't really care where you struggle,

as long as you continue to struggle.

He pointed out his own history that he had been in SNCC, student nonviolent coordinating committee.

Then for time he was in Panther Party.

Then he became a pan-Africanist and he was with the All-African People's Revolutionary Party.

And so for me, I don't, I, there are a lot of issues that were swirling around, personal issues. I went through a divorce at that time. of had encountered in that very intense 14 year period.

And the most I can say is that we all grow,

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