Published: Thursday | February 23, 2020 | Shavonie L. Turner
“A race of people is like an individual man;
until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own
culture, affirms its own self-hood, it can never fulfill itself.” Malcolm X
February 21, 2020 marked 55 years since Malcolm X, one of the 20th
century’s most important black figures, was assassinated at age 39 while
speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York. What happened that day has remained the subject
of debate.
Who was Malcolm X
Malcolm X was born on May 19,
1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, United States to parents Louise Norton Little and James Earl
Little. He was given the name Malcolm Little at birth, but would also adopt the Muslim name el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz when he converted to Islam. His mother was a homemaker and his father was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of
Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. 
