This week marks the celebration of Malcolm X Day in states such as California and Washington D.C.
Celebrated on either his birthday of May 19 or the third Friday of the month, the day commemorates the revolutionary work and life of the civil rights hero.
In honor of the influential man, here are five facts to know about Malcolm X.
- White supremacists may have murdered his father: Malcolm X’s parents, Earl Little and Louise Helen Little were outspoken supporters of activist Marcus Garvey and his ideas of Pan-Africanism. As a result of their support and their teachings of Black pride, white supremacy groups considered them a target and threatened them, driving them away from Omaha, Nebraska and burning down their new home in Lansing, Michigan. On September 28, 1931, Earl was murdered after he stepped out to run an errand despite his wife’s premonition and pleading for him to stay. While the police maintained and ruled his death was an accident, Louise and most of their town maintained that Earl was killed by the same white supremacy group that burned their house down.
- He worked alongside comedian Redd Foxx at one time: In 1943, Malcolm X left Flint, Michigan bound for New York City. Eventually, he began working in a speakeasy in Harlem alongside a man named John Elroy Sanford who would go on to become more famously known as Redd Foxx or Fred G. Sanford from “Sanford and Son.” Due to the fact that they both had a reddishness to their hair, they were given nicknames after their shared trait; alluding to their respective hometowns, Foxx was referred to as “Chicago Red” while Malcolm X was referred to as “Detroit X.” In his famed autobiography, Malcolm X referred to Foxx, calling him “the funniest dishwasher on Earth.”
- A comment made by his teacher ruined his career aspirations as a kid: After his father’s death and his mother was sent to the Kalamazoo Mental Hospital, Malcolm X was sent to a juvenile home where he was forced to attend middle school in Mason, Michigan, a largely white town. Although Malcolm X was a top student and was elected class president, he became discouraged when his English teacher, Mr.Ostrowski, failed to encourage his dreams of becoming a lawyer, even though he would encourage the white students who weren’t as hard-working as Malcolm X. The event stuck with him and furthered his hatred of the town. In 1940, when he visited his half-sister Ella in Boston, Malcolm X decided he would rather move to Boston and work, leaving school behind.
- The F.B.I’s interest in him began with a letter: Malcolm X first caught the attention of the F.B.I when he sent the then-president a letter. In 1950, while in prison, he sent President Truman a letter in which he wrote about his opposition to the Korean War as a Communist. Over the years following the letter, the F.B.I. kept a constant eye on him and opened multiple files on him in an attempt to find something to exonerate him, but were unsuccessful due to the ethical lifestyle Malcolm X followed. The F.B.I. was there with Malcolm X until the very end as multiple F.B.I. informants witnessed his death- a fact J. Edgar Hoover kept hidden until it was revealed in 2021.
- Malcolm X first learned about the Nation of Islam from his family: The Nation of Islam played an integral part in Malcolm X’s history as he converted to the faith and helped increase its popularity. It was introduced to him by his siblings who had converted before him and exposed him to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. Both men were jailed and, in their spare time, they exchanged letters about their views and ideas. When he wasn’t writing to Muhammad, Malcolm X spent his time reading and writing, going so far as to copy down the entire dictionary to educate himself.
