may 19 is malcolm x's birthday. he would be 96 this year, if still alive. he was assassinated at the age of 39 like his contemporary black civil rights activist, dr. king. both were killed by conspirators within the law enforcement establishment, with j. edgar hoover's fbi playing a central role, as it also did in the assassination of a 3rd great black leader who never achieved as much fame only because he was only 21 when he was killed, black panther fred hampton.
i've read malcolm's autobio (twice) and am a great admirer. as a public speaker his eloquence and his passion shone brightly. below are links to a couple of youtube links, one dealing with malcolm being interviewed shortly before his murder, the other a more recent clip dealing with the revelation that his murder came at the hands of law enforcement.
it may seem odd that someone like me who passionately hates dogmatic puritanical patriarchal religions like christianity and islam would be a fan of men like malcolm and martin who embraced these religions, but as always, the devil's in the details, and when the primary thrust of someone's message is about justice and equality, that other stuff tends to fade into the background.
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