Hundreds gathered at Malcolm X College Monday to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of its namesake and to honor the legacy of the Black leader and civil rights activist.
“Everyone should know about him, everyone should celebrate him,” said Nicole Williams, a junior at Kenwood Academy. “He is a very good icon for the Black and brown communities. He is definitely one of the pillars of our success.”
The event kicked off in the auditorium of the Near West Side community college with welcome messages from college President David Sanders, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado.
The celebration also included discussion panels with experts on topics such as addressing health inequities in the Black community and how to empower students to further their education.
Malcolm X College’s Inspirational Hawks choir performs at a commemoration of Malcolm X’s 100th birthday at Malcolm X College on Monday.
That is one way to uphold the legacy of Malcolm X, Salgado said, noting that the national Black leader stressed the importance of education and preparing for the future.
“Malcolm X understood that education was the passport, as he said, to opportunity,” Salgado said. “We have to make sure that the people in our community can truly tap into that education, have full access and opportunity and full support once they get here.”
Nicole Williams, a CPS high school junior, at Malcolm X’s 100th birthday celebration at Malcolm X College.
Williams, 17, is already looking at avenues to advance her education and career goals. She is taking classes at Malcolm X and at other city colleges. She is also part of the Medical Careers Exposure and Emergency Preparedness program, which partners with Chicago Public Schools and introduces students from underrepresented groups to careers in the medical field.
“It’s about cultivating the next leaders in the medical profession, because I feel like we need to have more representation of Black and brown people,” Williams said.
Her Kenwood classmate Yannick Assignon is also carving out his path. He leads an organization called Rise Up, which he said aims to increase the ranks of Black men with degrees.
The 17-year-old admired how Malcolm X spoke up about issues that mattered to him. Assignon thinks it’s important to know Malcolm X’s story because of the pivotal role he played in Black history. Malcolm X also demonstrated how to be a good leader, he said.
“He was able to speak up about any type of issue that he felt was wrong without fearing any type of consequences,” Assignon said. “He was brave and he was fearless.”
Yannick Assignon, 17 and a Kenwood Academy High School student, at Malcolm X’s 100th birthday celebration.
Malcolm X gained national prominence as the voice of the Nation of Islam, exhorting Black people to claim their civil rights “by any means necessary.” His autobiography, written with Alex Haley, remains a classic American work. He was shot to death while beginning a speech Feb. 21, 1965. He was 39.
The school was renamed after Malcolm X a few years later.
Anthony Shepherd, 34, didn’t attend Malcolm X College but feels like he belongs there because of his family’s connection to the school. His parents met at the school: His mother was a cheerleader and his father was a basketball player.
He said it was inspiring seeing so many young people at Monday’s celebration because they are the ones who will keep Malcom X’s history alive.
”Without them knowing the history, it’s going to die out and it’s going to be told by the people that want everyone to know what is not the truth,” Shepherd said.
“He was an outstanding individual,” he added. “He stood on true justice, peace and equality, and he is a true representative of Islam. I’ll forever love that brother and follow his legacy.”
Contributing: AP
