99th Birthday Of Malcolm X
Author: Julianna Cooper, Challenge America Music Therapist
Today we honor and remember the life of Malcolm X, civil rights activist and unwavering advocate for Black self-determination and self-defense.
On May 19th, 1925 in Omaha Nebraska, Malcolm (born Malcolm Little) was welcomed by parents Earl and Louise Little. From a young age, Malcolm witnessed and experienced racial violence. His father’s activism and involvement in civil rights led to death threats from the Black Legion, a white supremacist terrorist organization. These threats required the family to move multiple times over the course of Malcolm’s childhood. In 1929, the family’s Michigan home was burned to the ground, and Malcolm’s father was found dead - both of which were declared accidents by the police. After this tragedy, Louise experienced extreme financial and emotional hardships for years, and was ultimately taken to a mental institution in 1938 after severe struggles with mental health.
During his adolescent years, in which he and his siblings were separated between foster homes, he dropped out of school after a teacher told him that his dream to practice law was unrealistic as a Black man. In 1946, he was convicted on burglary charges and served time in prison - however, this was the time Malcolm reflected and educated himself on the teachings of Elijah Muhammed, the leader of NOI.
Upon his release and parole, Malcolm joined the NOI as a minister and spokesman, becoming an influential and well-known leader advocating for Black rights. In 1964, he left the NOI and continued to speak, campaign, and lead.
Malcolm X’s ideas, speeches, and martyrdom paved the way for the Black Power Movement. His words popularized and helped people understand the values of Black power, economic autonomy, self-defense, and racial pride in the 1960s, and they continue to do so to this day. He was tragically assassinated in 1965, while giving a speech in Manhattan at the Audubon Ballroom.
In this article about Malcolm X’s life and legacy, author Peter Bailey (a man who knew and worked closely with Malcolm) states that honoring Malcolm’s legacy isn’t merely an act of remembrance- “Instead, it is a clarion call to action and learning from Malcolm’s unwavering insistence on justice, equality, and freedom for Black people.”
