Malcolm X Day in Anacostia Park

For more than 23 years, May 19 was a huge day in Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C. Tens of thousands of people came to celebrate the birthday of the civil rights leader Malcolm X and to hear activists, artists and community leaders. From its start in 1972, the yearly event celebrated the community and aimed to build unity within it, through organizing, art, music and a broad celebration of culture.

Malcolm X

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, and later took the name Malik El-Shabazz. Rising from poverty, he became one of the most dynamic Black leaders of the 1960s. He founded the Organization for Afro-American Unity. Both his community and some people in power respected his frank analysis of the conditions Black Americans faced. A Black nationalist and prominent member of the Nation of Islam, he represented an influential school of thought in the civil rights movement, seeking to bring civil rights leaders' work together while putting Black autonomy and empowerment first.

The celebration

The first Malcolm X Day was held in May 1972 as a lead-up rally to the first African Liberation Day celebration, one of several rallies organizers held across the city to raise awareness of issues the community faced. It began at the Anna Johanning Baptist Church in Southeast Washington; as attendance grew, it moved to Anacostia Park. Showcasing the many cultures of Black heritage, it became the oldest and largest tribute to Malcolm X in the nation.

At its height, Malcolm X Day drew 30,000 to 50,000 people to the park for a full day of activities under the banner "Unity in the Community." It brought together community activists, civil rights leaders and church leaders, Afrocentric vendors, artists, musicians and speakers, and gave local entertainers and artists a chance to share their work with a wider audience. People of every age came to honor Malcolm X's life and legacy and his call for the community to rely on itself rather than wait for others to act on its behalf.

Sources

• National Park Service, Anacostia Park: "Malcolm X Day in Anacostia Park." The source misspells Malcolm as "Malcom" and "Malcolm W" in places; the name is corrected here. Its photographs of the celebration, credited to Malcolm X Day and to a photographer's gift to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, are not reproduced, and Malcolm X's words are paraphrased.
• Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.