Rights & Rituals: Black Women and The Love Letter of Our Lives

By Dr. Dora Muhammad

“…and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets that are human hearts” 

(2 Corinthians 3:3)

The tributes from people around the world recognizing the legacy of Khadijah Farrakhan upon her transition at the age of 90 on June 27, 2026, illuminated how she touched lives beyond the Muslim community. The cherished wife of Minister Louis Farrakhan for 72 years was his childhood sweetheart—having been in each other’s lives since she was 8 and he was 11. Spanning more than eight decades, witnessing their love sparks a profound awe for reasons deeper than the length of time. Nina, after all, did school us on empty relationships when she declared to Marvin in Love Jones, “All we have is all these years.” 

As I wrote my tribute, I reflected on pivotal life intersections with her. Though I am honored as the first female editor of The Final Call, she preceded me when she helped edit the newspaper from their home when Minister Farrakhan first began publishing it. Her example of devotion in helping him in his mission demonstrates how the Divine Feminine moves in ways where function does not depend on title, the Holy Spirit transcends proximity, and our gifts make room. 

Such sacred space was fashioned for me when, more than 15 years after my resignation from FCN editor, Minister Farrakhan empowered me to establish The Final Call Foundation to meet our shared vision to edit and publish his books, telling me, “I trust you with my words,” and sharing his vision of my continued role in helping him. My first intersection was volunteering in my late teens at Newell Apparel, a company she founded to design, sew, and distribute the official NOI garments for women and girls.

This master seamstress, as her obituary stated, taught men and women “how to cut our lives out after the pattern of Allah (God).” She is surely a member of the contemporary sewing circles of Dorcas and Daughters of the Conference who mend more than clothes. Her remembrance echoes words from my column announcing my AME women’s anthology project: “We are stitching threads of faith into the sacred seams of our communities with hands of love.” 

When I published Metropolitan’s anthology four months ago, the title “The Lamp Oil of Black Women of African Methodism” became “The Lamp Oil of Black Women and African Methodism.” I received the vision of the project expansion to eventually collect writings from my NOI sisters and other faith communities. From this holy inspiration, I launched “The Lamp Oil of Black Women and Islam” as part of my tribute to Mother Khadijah. 

These collections of Black women’s exquisite wisdom are a refreshing fruit of my introduction for “Because of Christ, The Love Letter of My Life,” which chronicled my spiritual journey through 18 letters to loved ones: “It is a love story—giving, receiving, and being.” 

Submission portals for all districts are now open for women and girls across the Connectional to contribute to the AME anthology. For details, visit www.gracefull.co/projects 

Dora is the principal of Creative Grace, LLC, and founder of The AWARE Project (Advocacy for Women’s Activism, Rights & Empowerment). She is the Ambassador to Women for the Institute of Caribbean Studies and spearheads the Theologies of CARE Initiative at Faith in Public Life.