Explorations in Black Leadership

Co-Directed by Phyllis Leffler & Julian Bond

Early Mentors: Extended Kin

BUTTS: So, my Uncle Leon who was the union organizer. He came by our house one night or we went to his. He said, “Come down in the basement. I’ve got something for you to hear.” Now, what is this? And he put on this forty-five record and the record was singing or saying, “White man heaven is black man hell.” He said “Do you know who that is?” I said, “No.” He says, “That’s Louis X,” and of course, that’s Minister Farrakhan today. And so he was influential because he had that energy.