CSMS Magazine
Ardain Isma
He was the revolutionary who did not measure his words despite his acute awareness of the consequences. His life was cut short, but not his legacy which continues to hunt this country today. Malcom X, née Malcom Little, was assassinated on February 21, 1965, 50 years ago. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska—the fourth child of a family of 7 children. At the age of 13, he was forced to live in foster homes because he had become parentless.
Malcom rose to prominence when he became a leader of the Black Muslim movement. At the height of his glory, Malcom repeatedly made it clear death didn’t matter to him, life did—not his personal life, though. On this reasoning, he had joined Dr. Martin Luther King who knew his life was in danger but did not let fear cripple him. There was always the element of danger when fighting for social justice.
Malcom X had been considered as one of the most influential African-Americans in history. While his critics called him a perverted racist for his firing speeches against racial injustices perpetuated against blacks, most African-Americans have a different view of the narrative that crafts Malcom’s life. To Black America, Malcom will forever be the man who died professing an unwavering advocacy on behalf of the disenfranchised of this country. His life and work constitute an indictment against America’s wrongs and against all those who engineered those wrongs against minorities—blacks in particular—of this country. Malcom’s legacy will forever enshrine in the pantheon of great Americans—not just an African-American.
Note: To learn more about Malcom X and his legacy, we encourage you to read “A Biography of Malcom X” or his own auto-biography. Also, we’re asking our readers to “Like” us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/csmsmagazine
