| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, One of the most forceful, impassioned voices to be |
|
|
raised in behalf of African Americans during the 20th century was |
|
|
that of Malcolm X; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925, Malcolm X |
|
|
experienced the harsh effects of racial intolerance from an early |
|
|
age; while he was still quite young, his family had to move several |
|
|
times because of threats from a white supremacist group, and in 1931 |
|
|
his father died in a suspicious accident; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Although he was a gifted student who graduated at |
|
|
the head of his class in junior high, Malcolm X was discouraged from |
|
|
pursuing his ambition to become a lawyer by a teacher who told him |
|
|
it was not a realistic goal; he subsequently dropped out of school |
|
|
and moved to the Northeast; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In 1946, Malcolm X was sentenced to 10 years in |
|
|
prison for burglary; while in jail, he became a follower of Elijah |
|
|
Muhammad, leader of a black separatist group known as the Nation of |
|
|
Islam; he also used his time in prison to read voraciously about |
|
|
politics and history, especially about African slavery and the |
|
|
oppression of African Americans; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Paroled in 1952, Malcolm X rose swiftly in the |
|
|
Nation of Islam hierarchy: within two years, he had become minister |
|
|
of the temples in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, and in 1957 he |
|
|
became the group's national spokesman; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, A fiery, charismatic orator, he received numerous |
|
|
invitations to participate in debates and make personal |
|
|
appearances; it was largely through his influence that the Nation |
|
|
of Islam grew from 500 members in 1952 to 30,000 members in 1963, |
|
|
the year the New York Times reported him to be the second most |
|
|
sought-after speaker in the country; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Malcolm X broke with Elijah Muhammad in March 1964 |
|
|
and founded his own religious organization, Muslim Mosque, Inc.; |
|
|
the next month he made a pilgrimage to Mecca that profoundly altered |
|
|
his world view; after engaging with people from many different |
|
|
cultures during this sojourn, he moved closer to orthodox Islam and |
|
|
became more hopeful about the possibility of racial harmony; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Following his return to the U.S., Malcolm X founded |
|
|
the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), to bring together |
|
|
the different elements of the African American struggle for |
|
|
equality; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Among the fundamental tenets espoused by Malcolm X |
|
|
were a belief in the vital importance of education and self-help and |
|
|
a conviction that faith should be expressed in action; in his last |
|
|
years, he looked to collaboration and coalition building to help |
|
|
achieve African American advancement; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, |
|
|
during an OAAU rally in New York City; since that time, his life and |
|
|
views have reached a still wider audience through several books, |
|
|
including an autobiography written in collaboration with Alex |
|
|
Haley, and a major film by Spike Lee; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Today, Malcolm X is remembered around the world as |
|
|
an eloquent, powerful champion for human dignity and freedom; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the death of |
|
|
Malcolm X. |