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TRUMPET .NovEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 9 www.trumpetmag.cm
Waiting for justice is truly trying business.
J
uanessa Bennett is hoping by thetime her birthday rolls around,the waiting will be over. With theGeorgia Supreme Court expectedto deliver a decision this fall that could freeher son from prison, she and her daughter Jiaya are both imagining their autumnalbirthdays will be buoyed by good news, giv-ing their family reason to celebrate.Genarlow Wilson is waiting as well, anx-iously watching the days slip pass at BurrussCorrectional Training Center in Forsyth,GA. When not working out, he spends qual-ity time with the prison chaplain, attendsworship services and reads biblical scrip-ture. Having freedom come just withinhis grasp this past summer, only to besnatched away, his mother says he is edgyand frustrated. Yet, Wilson remains hopefulhe will soon be reunited with his family—and birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmaswill once again have profound meaning.Now 21, Wilson has served almost threeyears of a 10-year mandatory sentence forhaving underage, consensual oral sex with a15-year-old girl when he was 17. A star ath-lete and high school honor roll student, theyoung man’s future derailed at a 2003 NewYear’s Eve party where drugs and alcoholwere present, and where he and several of his buddies engaged in sex acts with girls.Under a poorly written law, Wilson wasconvicted of aggravated child molestation,which was a felony in Georgia at the timeand carried the mandatory sentence with-out parole. Under an exemption of the law,sexual intercourse between minors wasconsidered a misdemeanor while oral sexwas not taken into consideration.“When Genarlow’s mom came into myoffice, if you had said 31 months laterwe’d still be dealing with this and all of thethings that happened, I would have said‘No way,’” said Brenda Joy (BJ) Bernstein,Wilson’s attorney. “When I looked at her, Isaid, ‘Oh, we have to get the law changed,’”she recalled. “In retrospect, that was cor-rect and yet a little Pollyanna—thinkingthat people would just see—just like inthe Marcus Dixon* case they saw—and wewould eventually get this righted.”The Georgia State Legislatureamended the law last year—largely because of Wilson’scase—so conviction for thecrime for which he was chargedis now a misdemeanor, carry-ing a maximum sentence of 12months. But for whatever rea-son, the legislature declined toapply the law retroactively toWilson’s case.In June of this year, GeorgiaSuperior Court Judge ThomasH. Wilson, citing Wilson asthe victim of cruel and unusu-al punishment, ordered theyoung man freed. He wrote inthe order granting release: “If this Court, or any other court,cannot recognize the injustice
Genarlow Wilson
by Roxanne L. Brown
Justice Deferred
FEATURE
Wilson’s mother, sister and attorney Genarlow Wilson
 .
   P   h  o   t  o   b  y   R  o  x  a  n  n  e   B  r  o  w  n
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TRUMPET .NovEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 15 www.trumpetmag.cm
COVERAGE
by Rhoda McKinney-Jones
I
t’s not often that one gets to interview an icon. Someone calledby a singular moniker and everyone knows of whom you speak—a person who can walk into a room and cause pause because of his physical presence and historical significance. That’s exactly what Iwas privileged to do a few days ago from my humble kitchen perch.I interviewed the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan by phone oneverything I could think to ask in 15 fleeting minutes.The Minister’s voice was strong, smooth and steadfast, givingno hint of the health challenges that have plagued him the last fewyears. He talked about the future of the Nation of Islam, his hopefor the faith, his pride in African American people, his love of musicand the state of Black America. Then of course, when prodded, hetalked of his legacy. I asked questions in quick succession and hewillingly responded, eloquently quoting biblical scripture, speakingin parables and peppering his answers with references to the Quran,Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Honorable ElijahMuhammad. He spoke and I couldn’t help but listen and learn.“When Minister Farrakhan speaks, Black America listens,” saysthe Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, likening the Minister’s influence tothe E. F. Hutton commercials of old. “Everybody may not agree withhim, but they listen…His depth on analysis when it comes to theracial ills of this nation is astounding and eye opening. He brings aperspective that is helpful and honest.“Minister Farrakhan will be remembered as one of the 20th and21st century giants of the African American religious experience,”continues Wright. “His integrity and honesty have secured him aplace in history as one of the nation’s most powerful critics. His lovefor Africa and African American people has made him an unforget-table force, a catalyst for change and a religious leader who is sincereabout his faith and his purpose.”The Louis Farrakhan story is one most of us already know, butthat does not diminish its import or impact. Born Louis EugeneWalcott, 73-years ago in the Bronx and raised in Roxbury, MA, theformer Calypso singer and classically trained violinist, knew therewas a greater calling on his life. That calling began with his joiningthe Nation in 1955 and changing his name to Louis X. Since thattime, the rest, one could say, is history.The Minister helped breathe new life into the Nation after thedeath of Elijah Muhammad, attracting thousands upon thousandsof young, eager, African American men who found a home in thefaith, pride in themselves and a leader in the Minister. From thestreets of Chicago’s South Side to the Million Man March and to thegreater Islamic world, the Minister has and is making a difference.But that road has not been an easy one, as his friend Father MichaelL. Pfleger of St. Sabina Church in Chicago explains.“Minister Farrakhan is probably one of the most misunderstoodand mis-defined leaders of our day,” says Pfleger. “When you don’twant to deal with someone’s truth, you try to destroy their charac-ter or redefine them…That’s what the media has sought to do withMinister Farrakhan. His truth causes America to face its racism andits hypocrisy.”“Minister Farrakhan has been a personal friend for more than20 years,” continues Pfleger. “His leadership has evolved, and Ibelieve the coming days will see him as a unifying force, calling realChristians, real Jews and real Muslims to come together on princi-ples of truth and justice… Contrary to those who want to make himanti-white and anti-Semitic, I believe Minister Farrakhan is presentlybuilding the umbrella for people of conscience to come together nomatter the race or creed. I am honored to call him my brother.”Because of the Minister’s influence in the African Americancommunity,
Trumpet Newsmagazine
honors him this winter at itsSounds of the Shore gala with an Empowerment Award. It seemeda fitting tribute for a storied life well lived. And as our brief interviewdrew to a close and he thanked me for taking the time to talk tohim, I could not help but think, the Minister, the man with whom Ihad been so casually speaking, truly epitomized greatness.
EmpowErmEnt 
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
AnInterview
o
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