Malcolm X day | Biography
Subsequently, he became one of the instigators and leaders of the Civil Rights movement from 1955 to 1965. He preached about the NOI and made aware of African Americans of their ideologies of Black Nationalism. But in 1963, he had a fallout with Muhammad, and he left NOI in 1964.
Celebrated to commemorate the efforts of Malcolm X, also known as Malcolm Little, el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
What is Malcolm X Day?
The day marked in the memory of African American Muslim Minister, and Civil Rights Advocate Malcolm X is Malcolm X Day.
Malcolm was a member of the Nation of Islam (NOI) and a disciple of Elijah Muhammad. They advocated for Black Nationalism, believing that white people would not accept equality or equity in America because of the history of the enslavement of black people. Hence they imagined a territory without the white race.
Their prophecy added to Islamic values was one of the prominent ideologies in making African Americans join the NOI. In addition, another figure of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., approved of the rights of Black people, but in a non-violent approach. While Malcolm procured that violence should be used for self-defense.
Malcolm’s different proposal of Black Rights than Dr. King was also a magnetic element in fueling the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. His daughter Ilyasah later, during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, mentioned that his values of self-defense resulted from the racial foundation of America. And that will be understood by the next generation, rather than his generation.
Therefore, Malcolm X Day is celebrated to remember the prominent figure of the Black Rights Movement of the 1960s.
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When is Malcolm X Day Celebrated?
This holiday has not been officiated by the Federal government. But in 2015 State of Illinois became the first state to recognize 19 May, or the third Friday of May, as Malcolm X Day. The state announced that day as a public holiday. Then in 2019 State of Missouri also followed.
The foundation working on behalf of commemorating Malcolm X Day is the Council of Islami Organization of Greater Chicago (CIOGC). After Juneteenth became a federal holiday to remember the decades-long enslaved African Americans, civil rights advocates and CIOGC also began making moves to establish Malcolm X Day as a national holiday.
Who is Malcolm X?
Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on 19 May 1925. His real name was Malcolm Little. He grew up facing threats and violence from white supremacists in Nebraska and Michigan, where his family had relocated after Nebraska. His father was also a victim of an alleged hate crime but was ruled an accident by the local authorities. After his father’s death, his mother was enrolled in a mental institution. He and his other seven siblings were sent to foster care.
Although an excellent student, Malcolm left school and began dealing with drugs while living in Detroit. Then at the age of 21, he was sent to 10 years imprisonment for larceny. He heard and learned about the prophet Elijah Muhammad of NOI in prison. He was paroled after serving for seven years, and as soon as he was out in 1952, he joined the NOI.
Subsequently, he became one of the instigators and leaders of the Civil Rights movement from 1955 to 1965. He preached about the NOI and made aware of African Americans of their ideologies of Black Nationalism. But in 1963, he had a fallout with Muhammad, and he left NOI in 1964.
After that, he converted to Sunni Muslim and changed his name to el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz. He also established the Muslim Mosque Inc (MMI) and the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU). Then he began teaching different ideologies than NOI, which brought a further rift between him and NOI.
Then on 21 February 1965, while giving a lecture at the Audubon Ballroom, New York. He was shot 21 times by the members of NOI. One of the perpetrators, Talmadge Hayer, was caught while running from security, and the other two, Norman Butler, also known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz, and Thomas Johnson, known as Khalil Islam, were identified by the witnesses. Even though Butler and Johnson claimed innocence, all three were sent to life imprisonment.
Later in 1985, Butler was released on parole, Johnson was released in 1989, and died in 2009. Hayer was released in 2010. However, in 2021 after two years of re-investigation, the New York Court gave a verdict exonerating Butler and Johnson on the alleged crime of 1964.
Malcolm was outlived by his wife Betty Shabazz and his six daughters, Attallah, Qubilah, Ilyasah, Gamilah Lumumba, and twins Malaak and Malikah.
