Malcolm X Day in Harlem

People came from all over the nation on Thursday, May 19, 2022 to celebrate what would have been the 97th birthday of Malcolm X, a.k.a. El Hajj Malik El Shabazz. As is traditional, there was the annual pilgrimage to the gravesite in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, which Malcolm X shares with his wife’s, Dr. Betty Shabazz. COVID-era protocol meant that the event was toned down with no school buses, as Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity [OAAU] and the Sons Of Africa, hosted their 57th annual pilgrimage. Then just after 12 p.m., the December 12th Movement rallied the people at Harlem’s 125th St. and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. to hold the 33rd shutdown of all the stores from 1-4 p.m., in honor of Harlem’s ‘Shining Black Prince.’ Only a couple of stores resisted the effort like Planet Fitness and Party City (which eventually closed after persuasion from marchers). Later that evening Ilyasah Shabazz hosted an evening at her parents’ Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center. There was libation, song and guests such as Maimouna Youssef a.k.a. Mumu Fresh, Claudia Hayden, Najha Zigbi-Johnson, and original OAU member A. Peter Bailey.