Senate Resolution No. 2240

BY: Senator CLEARE

        COMMEMORATING  the  99th 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  99th  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,  as  the  fourth  of Earl and Louise Little's seven children;
Earl, a Baptist minister,  was  a  follower  of  Marcus  Garvey's  black
nationalism  and served as Omaha chapter president of Garvey's Universal
Negro Improvement Association; and

  WHEREAS, Malcolm X was soon appointed as  a  minister  and  national
spokesperson  for  the  Nation of Islam in the 1950s and 1960s; in March
1964, Malcolm X left The Black Muslims and formed two new organizations:
Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity; and

  WHEREAS, After spending some time  abroad,  Malcolm  X  returned  to
America  with a new outlook regarding race; from then on, he stated that
his organizations were willing to work  beyond  African-American-centric
groups and instead, welcome all races; 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
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
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;  now,
therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 99th Birthday  of  Malcolm  X,  an  advocate  for  human
rights,  and  one  of  the  most influential African-American leaders in
history.