Tuesday marked the 58th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, arguably the greatest U.S. leader of any color in the 20th century. He was 39 when he died on Feb. 21, 1965, the same age as Martin Luther King Jr. when he was assassinated in 1968. Without reaching 40, these two leaders seem to have lived a thousand years.
Malcolm X was way ahead of his time. He redefined the freedom movement as one of human, not just civil, rights. He carried the U.S. struggle against racism into the global arena, linking it to the anti-colonial movements of Black people in Africa, and of people of color around the world. As a Nation of Islam minister, he advocated Black pride, Black power and the rejection of white standards of beauty as soon as the early 1950s. His charismatic leadership enlarged the Nation of Islam from 400 members to 40,000 by 1960.
Despite Malcolm's enduring influence, the anniversary of his assassination will likely pass without mention in the mainstream media. His birthday on May 19 will never become a national holiday, though he appeared on a commemorative stamp in 1999 and continues to inspire activists and live in the work of contemporary Black artists like Erykah Badu and the Wu-Tang Clan.
