Remembering Malcom X

My friend Mshairi did a posting on February 21st in honor of the legacy of Malcom X, the charismatic and highly controversial African-American leader who was brutally murdered 40 years ago this week at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights – New York City. In honoring the many outstanding figures of African-American history one cannot nor should not forget Malcom X (El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz), born Malcom Little on May 19, 1925 in the State of Nebraska out on the Great Plains of the American Midwest.

As I wrote in a comment on Mshairi’s blog I personally never learned enough about Malcom to be able to write a well-informed article about him and the media and various opinions about Malcom at the time (1960’s) was so skewed in one direction or another that many people in America (and abroad) continue to have a negative view of this important figure in American history. Malcom scared the crap out of people back in the turbulent sixties, black and white alike, and his name and memory still scares some people today.

So I did a little digging around to see how his legacy is being handled in 2005 and especially since it is Black (American) History Month I feel that it is a good idea and a duty to share with my international readers these two articles from MSNBC online about Malcom X:

MSNBC Online - Malcom X: Down for the cause before the cause
MSNBC Online - An Interview with Malcom X’s Daughter

It’s also a good idea to visit the official website of Malcom X where you can learn even more about him in greater detail and be sure to check out the eulogy delivered by the African-American actor Ossie Davis at Malcom’s funeral.

Here is an excerpt from the article by MSNBC producer, editor, and reporter Michael E. Ross titled “Malcom X: Down for the cause before the cause”:

“He was aware of the fact that the Islamic population in the world is growing at an incredibly rapid rate, in the United States it’s growing significantly,” said Howard Dodson, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, based in New York City.

“That means that Americans will have to come to terms with Islam within the United States and outside, and formulate positions at individual and societal levels that bring the same respect to Islam that people bring to Christianity,” Dodson said. “That kind of respect will be won over time. It won’t happen overnight.”

Rest in Peace, Brother Malcom. God Bless.