Remembering The Intrepid Malcolm X

Remembering The Intrepid Malcolm X

Malcolm X was assassinated on this day, 21 February 1965. Malcolm X, who was born on 19 May 1925, as Malcolm Little, and later became known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, was an Anti-Imperialist African American revolutionary leader who rose from a background of poverty, family disruption, and criminal activity to a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until his assassination in 1965.

Malcolm X was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of revolutionary Islam within the African American community. He was regarded by the United States’ authorities as a controversial figure, who was accused of preaching violence, while he was also a celebrated figure by Black people and Muslims worldwide for his pursuit of racial justice.

On 19 February 1965, Malcolm X told an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and filmmaker, Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks, who became prominent in United States documentary, “Photojournalism” in the 1940s through 1970s, that the Nation of Islam was actively trying to kill him.

On 21 February 1965, when he was preparing to address the Organisation of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) at the Audobon Ballroom, in Manhattan, someone in the audience yelled, “Nigger! Get your hand outta my pocket!” As Malcolm X and his bodyguards tried to quell the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot him once in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun, while two other men charged the stage firing semi-automatic handguns. At 15:30, Malcolm X was pronounced dead, shortly after arriving at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. A post-mortem report mentioned 21 gunshot wounds to the chest, left shoulder, arms and legs, including ten buckshot wounds from the initial shotgun blast.

One gunman, a member of the Nation of Islam, who was identified as Talmadge Hayer, also known as Thomas Hagan, was beaten by the crowd before police arrived. Witnesses identified the other gunmen as Nation of Islam members Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson. All three were convicted of murder in March 1966 and sentenced to life in prison.

Malcolm X was described as one of the most influential African Americans in history and was credited with raising the self-esteem of Black Americans and reconnecting them with their African heritage.

Source:
Wikipedia.

Castro Khwela
Good morning fellow Compatriots!🙏🏾✊🏾👊🏾