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