LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 89th Birthday of Malcolm X, a
singular human rights activist, and one of the most influential Afri-
can-American leaders in history

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend individuals and events which celebrate our nation's great strug-
gle to fulfill the promise of equality and opportunity for all; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 89th Birthday of Malcolm X, a singular human rights activist,
and one of the most influential African-American leaders in history; and
WHEREAS, Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, on May
19, 1925; and
WHEREAS, On January 14, 1958, Malcolm X married Betty Sanders; they
had six children, Attallah, Qubilah, Iiyasah, Gamilah, Malaak, and Mali-
kah; and
WHEREAS, Once a member of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was a Muslim
minister, public speaker, and human rights activist; to his admirers, he
was a courageous advocate for the rights of African-Americans in the
face of institutionalized racism; and
WHEREAS, After his departure from the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X
founded Muslim Mosque Inc., and the Organization of Afro American Unity;
he then became a Sunni Muslim and after his holy pilgrimage to Mecca he
became El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz; and
WHEREAS, Malcolm X's pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia proved life
altering and for the first time, he shared his thoughts and beliefs with
different cultures, and found the response to be overwhelmingly posi-
tive; and
WHEREAS, When he returned to the United States, Malcolm X mentioned
that while he was abroad he had met men of all races that he could call
his brothers; he also returned to the United States with a new outlook
on the African-American struggle for equality, a new message for all
mankind, and a new hope for the future; and
WHEREAS, On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated while giving
a lecture in the Audubon Ballroom, in New York City, which was subse-
quently designated as a landmark and currently houses the Malcolm X and
Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center; and
WHEREAS, In 1987, in honor of the slain civil rights leader, Lenox
Avenue in Harlem, New York City was named after Malcolm X; and
WHEREAS, In January 1999, family and friends of Malcolm X gathered at
the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York, to witness the U.S. Postal
Service announce the debut of the new Malcolm X postage stamp; the
33-cent commemorative stamp is the 22nd stamp in the Postal Service's
Black Heritage series; the U.S. Postal Service declared that Malcolm X
was one of the most influential Black leaders of the 1960s, and that he
shaped the debate about race relations and strategies for social change;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 89th Birthday of Malcolm X, a singular human rights
activist, and one of the most influential African-American leaders in
history.