Assembly Resolution No. 1294

BY: M. of A. Barron

COMMEMORATING the 93rd Birthday of Malcolm X, an
advocate for human rights, and one of the most
influential African-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
struggle 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
commemorate the 93rd Birthday of Malcolm X, an advocate for human
rights, 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
Malikah; 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
positive; 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
humankind, and a new hope for the future; however, he remained a strong
advocate for revolutionary Black nationalism, a call for establishing a
nation within a nation for people of African ancestry in America; and

WHEREAS, On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated while
giving a lecture in the Audubon Ballroom, in New York City, which was
subsequently 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, The Malcolm X Commemoration Committee will hold a
pilgrimage on Saturday, May 19, 2018, beginning at the Harlem State
Office Building located at 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell
Boulevard where they will caravan to Malcolm's gravesite at Ferncliff
Cemetery in Ardsley, New York; upon their return, businesses along 125th
Street, organized by the December 12th Movement, will be shut down
between 1pm and 4pm for a moment of silence in honor of Malcolm X; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 93rd Birthday of Malcolm X, an advocate for human
rights, and one of the most influential African-American leaders in
history.