"We declare our right on this earth...to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary." -Malcom X
Today, on what would have been the 78th birthday of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, a.k.a. Malcolm X, the issues facing not only African-American communities, but poor and working class peoples of all colors around the world, have not decreased in severity. Today is a day without much fanfare in the corporate media, however, a day without parades or ahistorical tributes on NPR or even the jingoistic Fox News. The central messages and themes are always distorted by a press bound by tight ideological blinders. Social justice never came without struggle. Malcolm X is one such freedom fighter who offers a measure of inspiration for those around the world that seek true social justice, not the kind co-opted and sold back as part of some marketing campaign.

May 19 is also Racial Justice Day, with demonstrators offering classes starting at city hall in SF, then on to the Israeli consulate and Oakland's police department. Photos: 1

Malcolm-X.org | Malcolm X & Hip Hop | Davey D