Malcolm X


The Struggle for Human Rights


Assassination

Malcolm X on a stretcher after being shot.

Malcolm being carried away by a stretcher right after he was shot. The hospital pronounced him dead upon arrival and concluded that he must have died right after he was shot.[1]

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm was giving a speech to the OAAU, in Manhattan, when a man rushed forward and shot him. Many people speculated that the NOI was behind the shooting but the truth behind his murder remains unknown.

Legacy

Malcolm X has made significant contributions to both black society and civil reforms. He drew attention to the "separate but equal" facilities introduced by Plessy v. Ferguson and the ignored crime of lynching. Malcolm also inspired much of the Black Power movement.

"The charismatic black leader ... could arouse crowds with his call for black separatism. Yet at the end of his life, Malcolm began to temper his separatist creed.[24]

-The American Pageant









Ironically, as Malcolm became more conservative, he influenced The Black Panthers, a group of radical blacks,

"...that called for the arming of all blacks, the exemption of blacks from the draft and from all sanctions of so-called white America, the release of all blacks from jail, and the payment of compensation to blacks for centuries of exploitation by white Americans." [25]

-Encyclopędia Brittanica

The '90s

In 1999, the United States Postal Service honored Malcolm by making a stamp of him. Bill McAlisster of the Washington Post comments on this event:

Malcolm X on a stamp

Malcolm X on a stamp from 1999.[1]

"By all means, let us honor Malcolm X, but in doing so let us be clear as to who and what he was. He was not a liberal or a conservative, a Democrat or a Republican. He was a revolutionary and an internationalist." [26]

-"Malcolm X Stamp Added to Series", Washington Post


Atallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, also appreciated the stamp:

"On January 20, 1999, the U.S. Postal Service issued a special commemorative stamp honroing my father. This acknowledgement affirms the integrity of his heart and the wisdom of his philosophy, and guarantees that his message will endure." [27]

-Foreword, The Autobiogrpahy of Malcolm X