Malcolm X Day
{{short description|American holiday}}
{{Infobox holiday
|holiday_name = Malcolm X Day
|type = Nationwide festivities
Local holiday (May 19)
|image = Malcolm X NYWTS 2a.jpg
|caption = Malcolm X in 1964
|observedby = Berkeley, California, United States
|date = May 19
|frequency = Annual
|significance =
|week_ordinal = third
|weekday = Friday
|month = May
|mdy = y
}}
Malcolm X Day is an American holiday in honor of Malcolm X that is celebrated on either May 19 (his birthday) or the third Friday of May. The commemoration of the civil rights leader has been proposed as an official state holiday in the U.S. state of Illinois in 2015 and Missouri as recently as 2019. As of present, only the cities of Berkeley and Oakland in California observe the holiday, with city offices and schools closed.{{citation |url=http://www.berkeleyside.com/tag/malcolm-x-day/ |title=Malcolm X Day celebrated at namesake school |access-date=2012-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110225547/http://www.berkeleyside.com/tag/malcolm-x-day/ |archive-date=2014-11-10 |url-status=dead }}{{Better source needed|reason=Citation is to user-generated content.|date=May 2025}}
History
The Malcolm X Day holiday has been an official holiday in the municipality of Berkeley, California, since 1979. Since then, there have been multiple proposals for the holiday to be official elsewhere. Most recently in 2014, a proposal put forth by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Chicago to make the holiday in the U.S. state of Illinois.{{Cite web|url=https://chicagomonitor.com/2015/05/illinois-designates-may-19-as-malcolm-x-day/|title=Illinois Designates May 18 as Malcolm Day|first=Bill|last=Chambers|date=May 20, 2015}} The Illinois proposal differs from the Berkeley, California resolution in that the holiday would be observed May 19 instead of the third Friday in May.{{cite web|url=http://chicagomonitor.com/2015/04/malcolm-x-day-on-may-19-proposed-for-state-of-illinois/|title=Malcolm X Day on May 19 Proposed for State of Illinois|work=Chicago Monitor - Critical perspectives on current affairs |date=23 April 2015 |last1=Chambers |first1=Bill }}# Before that, unsuccessful attempts were made in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., with numerous calls for it to be celebrated alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day{{citation |url=https://ideas.time.com/2012/01/20/we-need-a-malcolm-x-day/ | title=We Need a Malcolm X Day | magazine=Time | date=January 20, 2012}} as a federal holiday.{{citation|url=http://newsone.com/nation/tjstarr/malcolm-x-needs-federal-holiday/ | title=Does Malcolm X Deserve a Federal Holiday?| date=23 January 2012}} In 1993, this holiday was proposed at the federal level to Congress as H.J.R. #323 by Congressman Charles Rangel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/103rd-congress/house-joint-resolution/323/text/.ih|title=Text - H.J.Res.323 - 103rd Congress (1993-1994): Declaring May 19 a national holiday and day of prayer and remembrance honoring Malcolm X (Al Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz).|first=Charles B.|last=Rangel|date=February 10, 1994|website=www.congress.gov}} In 2015, the Illinois Senate unanimously passed the resolution for the official holiday designation where the law "... officially designated 'May 19, 2015, and every May 19 thereafter' as Malcolm X Day.{{cite web |url=http://chicagomonitor.com/2015/05/illinois-designates-may-19-as-malcolm-x-day/ |title=Illinois Designates May 19 as Malcolm X Day |first=Bill |last=Chambers |date=May 19, 2015 |work=The Chicago Monitor |access-date=May 20, 2015 }} Though the resolution passed making the holiday official, the Illinois official list of holidays still has yet to reflect the holiday.{{cite web|url=https://www.illinois.gov/cms/Employees/Personnel/Pages/StateHolidays.aspx|title=Illinois State Holidays|access-date=2016-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201012118/http://www.illinois.gov/cms/employees/personnel/pages/stateholidays.aspx|archive-date=2016-02-01|url-status=dead}}
Observances by state
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [http://www.malcolmxday.org/ Malcolm X Day], Washington, D.C.
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070601172051/http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/malcolm.html Malcolm X Day], The University of Kansas Medical Center Diversity Calendar
- [http://www.ciogc.org/index.php/communications/articles-and-statements/767-5-19-15-may-19-is-now-malcolm-x-day-in-illinois May 19 is now Malcolm X Day in Illinois], The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
- {{cite web |url=https://www.theroot.com/happy-x-day-the-case-against-a-federal-holiday-for-mal-1790859903|title=Happy X Day? The Case Against a Federal Holiday for Malcolm X |first=Kirsten West |last=Savali |work=The Root |date=May 19, 2015 }}
{{Malcolm X}}
{{US Federal Holidays}}
{{US Holidays}}
Category:Public holidays in the United States
Category:Memorials to Malcolm X
Category:Culture of Berkeley, California
Category:Government of Berkeley, California