Happy 89th El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz! Today, May 19th honors the birth of our fearless leader El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz most commonly known as Malcolm X. Malcolm X shook our nation due to his diligent commitment to the empowerment of his community by any means necessary. He not only challenged white America but also black America to redefine our communities for ourselves and not through the lens of oppression. He believed that every man and woman should have the ability to control their own lives and offered the same opportunity to live a life to the fullest and not one marred by hatred, doubt, self-denial or a subservient status to anyone. Although I have never met Malcolm X except listened to his speeches and experienced his story through pieces of art that preserve his essence I know that he would still believe that work needs to be done to promote the well-being and health of Black people and other communities of color that are still marred by oppression. One thing that Malcolm X would remind us of today especially as we are approaching a mid-term election on June 3rd is the importance of voting. With voter id laws attempting to be passed in multiple states across the United States Malcolm X would definitely remind us that the ballot is more important than the dollar, because why would they still be trying to affect people’s ability to vote today? As we celebrate Malcolm X’s birthday today lets continue to ask how we can continue to uphold his legacy, how we can remind each other to care for one another with the respect and dignity that all humans deserve and to hold ourselves and one another accountable to positive action and growth within our communities. If you haven’t already listened to the famous Ballot vs Bullet speech his speech is preserved on youtube at https://youtube/watch?v=D9BVEnEsn6Y If you would like to join an action this week Black Women for Wellness is hosting two days of phone banking (May 21 and 22nd) to remind community members of the June 3rd election. Even if you can’t come to our office you can still help make calls from your home or host a phone bank at a friends house. Please contact Krissy at krissy@bwwla or call 323.290.5955 for more information on how to participate in our Local Voices Phone Bank. Today also marks the last opportunity to register to vote, so if you haven’t or want to remind members in your community to register please visit sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm Once again, Happy Birthday El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and thank you for leaving your mark on history and inspiring the potential of leadership that exists in all of us.
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 15:49:53 +0000
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