Last updated: November 16, 2024
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Wendy L. Muhammad Foundation Trust (Chicago, Illinois)
African American Civil Rights Network
The Wendy L. Muhammad Foundation Trust stewards the former home of Elijah Muhammad, the leading figure of the Nation of Islam (NOI), a Black political and religious organization. Founded in 1930, the NOI emerged from growing interest in Islam among African Americans in the early 1900s. Elijah Muhammad joined the organization soon after its creation and quickly assumed its leadership. Muhammad shaped the group’s theological and political tenets which challenged racial discrimination and emphasized economic self-sufficiency and independence for African Americans.
Constructed in 1902, the home became an important center for Muhammad and NOI beginning in the 1950s. Between the early 1950s and early 1970s, prominent leaders and icons visited, dined, and met in the house. Visitors include the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Judge Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz, Muhammad Ali, Kwame Toure, James Baldwin, Andrew Young, Wilma Rudolph, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Hosea Williams, Bernard King, and members of the 1968 Democratic Convention.
The Wendy L. Muhammad Foundation Trust became a part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2023.
The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.
The Wendy L. Muhammad Foundation Trust stewards the former home of Elijah Muhammad, the leading figure of the Nation of Islam (NOI), a Black political and religious organization. Founded in 1930, the NOI emerged from growing interest in Islam among African Americans in the early 1900s. Elijah Muhammad joined the organization soon after its creation and quickly assumed its leadership. Muhammad shaped the group’s theological and political tenets which challenged racial discrimination and emphasized economic self-sufficiency and independence for African Americans.
Constructed in 1902, the home became an important center for Muhammad and NOI beginning in the 1950s. Between the early 1950s and early 1970s, prominent leaders and icons visited, dined, and met in the house. Visitors include the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, Judge Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Malcolm X, Betty Shabazz, Muhammad Ali, Kwame Toure, James Baldwin, Andrew Young, Wilma Rudolph, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Hosea Williams, Bernard King, and members of the 1968 Democratic Convention.
The Wendy L. Muhammad Foundation Trust became a part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2023.
The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.