Will Smith Donates $150,000 to Nation of Islam Rally- Mostly Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
Will Smith donated $150,000 to a Nation of Islam rally.
The Truth:
Will Smith donated $150,000 to a rally commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March that is co-organized by a leader of the Nation of Islam group.
Minister Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, announced that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith had made a $150,000 donation to help support the rally in a Facebook post:
Last night in Philadelphia, the Honorable Louis Farrakhan announced that he called upon Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith to support 10-10-15. And he said the couple happily donated $150,000 to offset the cost of hosting the upcoming historic gathering! Will Smith attended the Million Man March in 1995.
The rally is planned for the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on October 10, 2015. The theme is “Justice or Else!” The purpose of the rally is to support racial equality, and it’s not geared toward any one religion, according to its promotional materials:
If there were justice, there would be no need for a judgment. So, the only reason that the Bible and Qur’an talks about a Day of Judgment is because the wicked have denied the people that great principle of justice, fair dealing, in an equitable manner. Jesus said it perfectly, “God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, the same shall he also reap.” Obadiah the Prophet says, “As thou hast done, so shall it be done unto you.”
We are living in the day of Justice and Judgment and that’s why the cry everywhere is justice. All over our planet is complete dissatisfaction with government. The cry is not local or national but the cry for justice is universal! The pain is national and global and the forces of evil are not willing to change while the ball is yet in their court to give justice, simple justice to those who cry out.
Minister Louis Farrkham and Christian pastors announced the rally at the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, where black parishioners were murdered by a self-identified white supremacist:
Farrakhan, who came to town with a large contingency of Nation of Islam members, shared the pulpit with AME church leaders as well as Rev. Willie Wilson, pastor of the Union Temple Baptist Church, and Benjamin Chavis Muhammad, who played a key role in the Million Man March on Oct 16, 1995.
“When we look at 20 years ago, God showed us what can happen and what we can do when we are guided by divine direction” said Wilson, adding, “this time around, with the unity of all these ethnicities, all these races and all these people who are crying out, we expect that we can multiply what we did 20 years ago to make a great difference in this nation.”
Although leaders of the Nation of Islam are involved in the rally, it’s an interfaith event that is organized by religious leaders of multiple faiths, so the claim that Will Smith donated $150,000 to a “Nation of Islam rally” is somewhat misleading. That’s why we’re classifying this one as mostly true.