Malcolm X Day returns to Harlem on the Black liberation leader’s 101st birthday on May 19. While tributes span across the world, few places can rival the historic Black neighborhood’s importance when discussing the legacy of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
A Black Power rally and march will assemble at the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building and the subsequent annual “Shut Em Down” rally will take place between 1 to 4 p.m., closing down the businesses along 125th Street’s main corridor.
The shutdown dates back more than three decades through the December 12 Movement. Last year, Chick-fil-A notably drew boycotts and protests after the Atlanta-based fast food chain remained open
December 12 Movement leaders asked people to continue boycotting Chick-Fil-A this year. The Harlem location will remain open this year.
“While our restaurant remains open to serve our guests, per our corporate operating standards, our commitment to this neighborhood extends far beyond our front doors,” said the location’s local owner, Kevin Young over email. “I am grateful to be out in the community, engaging with several of the local organizations we are proud to support year-round.”
Malcolm X’s history is well documented in Harlem, particularly during his time as minister of the Nation of Islam when he preached at Temple No. 7, now known as Masjid Malcolm Shabazz. He first came onto the Amsterdam News’ radar after organizing outside the 28th Precinct in order to free Johnson X Hinton, a Black Muslim who the NYPD brutalized and arrested after he intervened in a police-involved beating. This led to his column in the paper for a year.
Last year, Harlem also honored him by unveiling Malcolm X Plaza, at Malcolm X Boulevard and 110th Street/Central Park North.
Author’s Note: A previous draft of this story was published. This has been updated to reflect the article published in the May 14-May 20 print edition.
Malcolm X IS STILL MY NUMBER 1-African-Hero-PERIOD AND NUMBER 1-Political-Hero TOO-PERIOD. May God-Almighty bless and remember his soul and his wife’s soul right-NOW too.
Yours faithfully,
Leandro Roberts.
YES Africans and African-Americans whom NOW-MADE-UP 14.14% Of U.S.A SHOULD REMEMBER Big-Brother-Malcolm X; born on 19th-May-1925 in Omaha, Nebraska and was violently-assassinated on 21st-February-1965 in Harlem, New-York-City, NEW-YORK-STATE, USA at the age of 39 too.
Africans and African-Americans SHOULD also take up arms and protect and defend themselves from racist-police-brutalities and racial-violence from white-racists abs racists of other-races whom shot and killed unarmed-black-men and black-women too. Remembering that 1992-U S-Film; Unlawful-Entry-1992 whereby white-LAPD-cop-Ray Liotta from Newark, New-Jersey cornered his African-American-police-colleague and shot and killed him in Downtown-Los Angeles and blamed a known-California-drug-dealer for gunning-down his African-American-police-colleague too .Cop-on-cop-shootings ; what’s the point of joining the LAPD, NYPD, Chicago-PD and other police-departments across USA when African-American-cops will ve cornered and gunned-down by white-cops and cops of other-races, eh ?. My mind is made-up too. Cop-on-cop-shootings are STILL going-on .Unarmed-black-men and black-women are still getting shot and killed by white-supremacists; white-cops and cops of other-races right-NOW. Blacks SHOULD bring back the Black-Panther-Party-For-Self-Defense and arm themselves against racists, racist-cops and racist-violence right-NOW. The LAPD and other police-departments should be made very-accountable to every man and every-woman in their cities.Racist, murderous-cops should be brought to justice and incarcerated until they die too. Remembering Malcolm X right-NOW. MALCOLM X-LIVES-PERIOD.
Yours faithfully.