Malcolm X Day

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Malcolm X Day
Malcolm X Day
Malcolm X
Observed by Berkeley, California, U.S.
Type Local
Date May 19

Malcolm X Day is an American holiday in honor of the civil rights leader Malcolm X which is celebrated either on May 19 (Malcolm's birthday), or the third Sunday in the month of May. The commemoration has legal status in the city of Berkeley, California.[1] It is also a proposed holiday in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C, with numerous calls for it to be celebrated alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day[2] as a federal holiday.[3]

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Historic celebrations [edit]

The first known celebration of Malcolm X Day took place in Washington, D.C., in 1971.[4]

Current celebrations [edit]

Berkeley, California [edit]

In Berkeley, California, there is currently a legal status on this holiday.[5] This holiday has been in place since 1979.[6][7]

Washington, D.C. [edit]

Schools such as the Malcolm X Elementary School in Washington, D.C., mark this holiday through UPEACE, US's DCPEACE program.[8]

Opposition [edit]

Opponents of Malcolm X call the day "absurd".[9] Erik Lundegaard from the Seattle Times suggests that Malcolm X who did not follow the doctrine of "non-violent" resistance caused more to respect the rival leader Martin Luther King Jr. and more disrespect and disinterest for Malcolm X.[10]

References [edit]

External links [edit]