Today's young white generation should accept responsibility to help fix problems stemming from the past, according to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

But Minister Farrakhan also believes that most black people are willing to forgive.

He said society was made up of several races and religions "and with them comes barriers that ultimately have to be broken down if we are going to become one people".

"The racial divide cannot be easily bridged, but most black people are willing to forgive... for our own sanity's sake we let things go."

He believes young white people have an acceptance of responsibility that the wealth and the powerful position that some have is because their fathers or grandfathers put a people at a huge disadvantage.

"And even though this present generation is not responsible for the evils of the past, they are the beneficiaries of what the evil of the past has accrued to them that has set black people at naught," he said.

"So the present generation, though not guilty of the evils of the past should accept responsibility to help fix the problem that exist from the past. And that means what? We have to have a just society going forward.

"That is why I say that if the racial divide is to be healed justice and fair dealing has to be the mortar that will bring both sides together going forward."

During his speech at the National Sports Centre on Monday, Mr. Farrakhan had suggested that in order to balance the playing field the wealthy must help the poor, but when asked if the poor would be better assisted by learning to help themselves, he said: "Always!"

Remembering his lecture, he said: "God made the human being to be productive and that is the highest form of pleasure when you can envision something bring it from your mind and see it in reality.

"Every human being is capable of being productive, however what helps them to realise that innate capacity to be productive is an education that encourages productivity."

Mr. Farrakhan said there had to be a transfer of knowledge. "If they don't have it, then allow those who do to teach our people to get our people up from the horrible mental, spiritual, physical, political and economic condition that our people are in.

"We just can't say, 'I'm sorry'. We have to do something to atone for the wrong, that unfortunately continues to be done, and that is why I asked the question before, 'who is benefiting from the condition that we are in that has us fighting each other, setting each other more at naught than what was done under colonial power?"

He said he came back here to serve and that is why he covered the cost of flying in his family, security and staff.

"I paid their way here, because the people that support me give me wealth, I don't need more suits, more ties, so my effort is to help others.

"If you have wealth and you are blessed like that, you have a duty. Now if I can help them by making them productive, I've done better than giving them something."