An Epic Poem 4 El Hajj Malik & Malcolm El Shabazz #MX50Forever
by Ras Ceylon
This spoken word piece was created for the #MX50 weekend of February 21, 2015 marking 50 years since the martyrdom/ assassination of Malcolm X. It is inspired by the Autobiography of Malcolm X, his life work and my relationship with his grandson. It was performed at different events from Mosques in Oakland to UC-Berkeley that weekend. Video from the events will be forthcoming, Inshallah.
x
He was born on May 19th, 1925
in Omaha Nebraska his parents were Garveyites
Malcolm the 4th child of Louise and Earl Little
Strong organizers for Marcus Garvey’s UNIA they refused to be belittled
By the racist American society or the evil ku klux klan again
Earl moved the family to Milwaukee then Lansing Michigan
Because they were being threatened by the KKK and black legion
Who had already killed 3 of Earl’s brother for only one reason
Cuz they were black and proud you see the Little’s practiced self reliance
Defiance to the oppressors so they burnt down they house but he still wasn’t silenced
A NIGHTMARE in 1931 disaster struck
Earl Little assassinated decapitated on train tracks and Louise was stuck
To raise 7 children all on her own
The insurance company ruled it a suicide which they had 2 know was wrong
But still refused to honor his life insurance policy
Which left the Little’s suffering racked by extreme poverty
Eventually the state took over and sent Malcolm to foster care
Splitting up the family unit his mother Louise was ill prepared
To deal with this wickedness so she suffered mental illness
All the bros and sisters loved their mother so much it was hard to witness
But young Malcolm little excelled in grade school
Tho he felt like a MASCOT for the whites who called him N like it was his name which aint cool
Like his teacher who told him that he could never be a lawyer
Claiming it was unrealistic for men of his color
That summer he went to visit his big sister Ella out in Boston
Her matriarchal presence perhaps would have calmed him
If not for a cat named Shorty and the appeal of nightlife
He became known as HOMEBOY under roseland’s bright lights
In the black section of bean town called Roxbury right?
No more school jus working by day lindyhoppin at night
Wit LAURA dancing to Duke Ellington and Count Bassie’s showtime
Conk in his hair zoot suit grooving the streets & talkin that jive
Homeboy then moved to NY and became a HARLEMITE
Around the same time world war 2 had arrived
He avoided the draft by tellin the board he couldn’t wait to get sum guns to kill whites
A sly smile on the face of the young man now known as DETROIT RED
For a hustler like this 125th and Lenox was 7th heaven so he said
Hanging with Lady Day and all the celebrities around the way
Gaining street fame and a mouthpiece full of game
But eventually he was TRAPPED and CAUGHT by that fast life
It was back in Boston tryna fix a stolen watch that he would find
1 of the three things he feared at the time: a job jail or the army
And in 1946 indeed he found himself locked down
Facing 8–10 years at Charleston state prison
Other inmates began to call him SATAN cuz of his demeanor and how felt about religion
But there was a brotha in there called Bimby who told him he had some brains if he use it
So he hit the library and later got letters from his brothers Reginald and Philip
Saying he could be SAVED and get out of prison..
1st he stopped eating pork and no more cigarettes was their suggestion
Around this time he was transferred to a difft institution
It seemed his whole family had found a solution
They called it the natural religion for the black man with Elijah Muhammed as their SAVIOR
The said the white race were devils and for Malcolm that was major
His mind was racing as he contemplated what they were saying
Even his sister Hilda had joined this new lost/found Nation
Of Islam and then he saw a vision he didn’t quite understand
Of WD fard who was said to have brought knowledge of self & supposed supreme wisdom to the original man
Claiming 360 degrees as masons only had 33 and a third
He learned they story of Yacub and how they taught history had really occurred
His family said turn to Allah and Pray to the East
Yet he found it difficult to bend his knees while in the belly of the beast
But his appetite for information never ceased and he continued to read
At breakneck speed even started debating and won every single verbal battle with ease
More studying and reading even when they turned the lights out
Finally in spring of 1952 he was unleashed and went out
And bought eyeglasses, a suitcase and a wrist watch
Later reflecting that those items were all he needed for his life that was to come
Then he moved in with his brother Wilfred’s family in Detroit
Near NOI temple number one but Malcolm was annoyed
With how small the nation was so he hit the streets fishing 4 new recruits
From the youth as his leader had advised / by 1954 he was officially MINISTER MALCOLM X
Returning to Harlem as the head of Temple 7 reaching out to his old street connects
To resurrect their dead minds but they were mostly not ready
But were all very shocked at how much he had changed in 1958 he married a Muslim sister named Betty X
All this time he was growing the nation of Islam exponentially
Even his oldest sister Ella had joined unexpectedly
Soon an incident would happen that put him on the map
Nypd brutalized a member named Johnson Hinton and Harlem’s Brother Minister organized the counter attack
Traveling en mass the Black community was mobilized with rage
he made sure the brother got medical attention and later sued the city who paid
The highest settlement of any day or hour no man should have some much power was said by a coward
Cop but they had to admit this was a clear case of police brutality
Making local headlines then BLACK MUSLIMS became known nationally
When a TV show called “the hate that hate produced” came out
Images of a proud black spiritual movement televised in every house
Now Malcolm X was in high demand to speak all over as the organization kept growing
An alternative to passive non-violent protests that were showing
Black people getting beaten lynched and sicked with dogs and fire hoses
With a strong brilliant voice his comments on the southern freedom struggle everyday exposed this
Extreme hate and prejudice practiced by racists institutions he taught self defense is intelligence
reminding the masses that Black People were 3/5ths of a human according to the constitution
the hypocrisy of democracy was the brother Minister’s main target
But he used slavery days analogies to describe the reverend Martin
And the like as those who were in the house and not the field
His analysis of American history proved that the fake dream of equality wasn’t real
For his honest policy he was demonized by media and called a hate monger
Appointed the national minister by Elijah but on the
Horizon was jealousy and mistrust within his own ranks
Even the newspaper he founded was leaving his name out blank
Thanks to the FBI the NOI was thoroughly infiltrated
His uncompromised voice was seen as a danger to the system so they made it
Possible to drive a wedge between him and his leader
Then in 63 like ICARUS he was brought down to earth and felt betrayal from those around his teacher
He had been frustrated and held back from taking action
Like when lapd killed NOI treasurer Ronald Stokes and he was told there was to be no reaction
But that was nothing compared to when he learned of disturbing acts soon to be reported in the news
Of dishonorable behavior from the 1 man who he had praised as knowing divine truth
Next was his famous quote of “chickens coming home to roost”
Violence begets violence the killing of JFK was his proof
He said the same tools used to assassinate Lumumba
Had now taken out the U.S. president and soon the
Word came down that MX was to be silenced for 90days
He submitted and took his family to Miami at the invitation of charismatic young boxer named Clay
Who was the underdog of the bout for the heavyweight championship
No1 in the nation that he could win but there ringside in seat 7 sat the Minister with a grin
And after 4 rounds the young Cassius shook up the world and then celebrating his victory
With big brother Malcolm smiling and laughing with him another beautiful moment captured in history
The next morning the confident new champ announced he was a Muslim
Later given the name Muhammed Ali and the world was again shooken
But by this time Malcolm was OUT starting Muslim Mosque Inc & then Ella helped him to reach MECCA
The impact of the experience he wrote to Sister Betty in a famous letter
La ilaha il Allah Muhammed ar Rusal Allah he now proclaimed 4 the 1st time
The Qur’an and the Sunnah of the real last and final Messenger of the 1 true God became his guide
Prophet Muhammed Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him traditions he now embraced with pride
Let the record reflect EL HAJJ MALIK EL SHABAZZ was a changed man in many ways
But his commitment to struggle against injustice firmly remained
In fact it gained clarity and was he was cleansed with new insight
He changed the whole narrative of the movement from just civil to Human Rights
Arriving in Nigeria they called him Omowale the returned son
Spent months organizing in Africa where it all begun
He met wit Nkrumah in Ghana and Sekou in Guniea
Nasser in Egypt and many nations in between
This was the time the Motherland was decolonizing
With an international revolutionary perspective he felt the tide rising
Ethiopia and other countries offered him and land and jobs for developing
This awakened continent but he couldn’t leave 22million victims of Americanism back in this u.s colony
Calling out the global monopoly sited imperialism as the policy
So he established the organization of Afro American Unity
And brought an Imam from Sudan to teach the Black community
The Deen as a its practiced all over the earth
A Garveyite from birth Hajj Malik Latif El Shabazz was putting in work
That had the CIA and FBI much more shook than anybody
Leadership and morality at his level threatened the social order and corrupt society and economy
Just follow the stated goals of the feds COINTELPRO
Which named him as the black messiah who could unify and electrify the movement so the story goes
They had to take him out in 1965 he was in Selma while MLK was locked down
His position was if the oppressors didn’t give king what he wants
they’d have to deal with this militant philosophy that Malcolm X brought
Feb 14th his house was firebombed with Betty pregnant and his 4 girls in the home
its wrong to do harm to any innocent women and children
picture Malcolm with a rifle out the window ready to defend them
that same day he traveled to Detroit to speak
death threats everyday but this genuine leader was never weak
the definition of strength Malcolm X went the length
from shirk to Tawheed he was blessed with Shahada
Hajj and then became a Martyr in such a short time
Neva 4get February 21st 1965
The Audubon ballroom in the city of NY
When a true freedom fighter was assassinated but he didn’t die
In vain u see his life became the example our black shining prince
Ample numbers of brothers and sisters embraced politics and Islam because of him
I wonder how millions did he inspire to stop living in sin
He motivated militants mind like Huey P. Newton 2 form new organizations
Helped H.Rap Brown become the Imam Jamil Al-Amin on the straight path to liberation
A message to the grassroots with no falsehood and just truth
The offspring of Malcolm, Panther Cubs warrior youth in the hood is proof
of Malcolm’s renewed relevance 50 years since his martyrdom
The struggle continues and his sacrifices should never be forgotten
For me it begins when I read his autobiography at age 14
Since then I’ve given away dozens of copies to kids cuz his brand of education is so important to me
We take the legacy seriously and I hope wit this poem u learned something
Any mistakes are mine all truth is from Allah (SWT) no fronting
I wouldn’t be the man I am today if not for Brother Malcolm
Study his life work and analyze the outcomes
Almost every statement he made can apply to today
Inspired generations wit self determination to uprise and rebel in a righteous way
We will change the wretched conditions create a better living 4 all humanity
Wit the sincerity of Malcolm X we can liberate our own minds and peace to his family
I must teach bout my loved 1, his 1st male progeny
I’ve been blessed to build with this legacy so to him I will speak…
October 8th, 84 birth of a Revolutionary
By Any Means Necessary for u was hereditary
1st male heir, namesake and grandson of the gr8 Malcolm X
From the day u was born they made u a threat
We met and stayed connected before and after u made Hajj
And I miss u brother comrade Malcolm Latif Shabazz
And its hard they putting dirt on ya name and couldn’t explain
Assassinated like u predicted rise in power no pain ahk
Cuz it’s the year of the martyr no fear we fight harder
Freedom or death before dishonor we gotta keep living
Inshallah u are both accepted as Shahids in Jennah
Ramadan after your Janaza I finally took my Shahada
After years of believing man could be God I now proclaim Most High Creator has no partners
In ur honor I stand 4 justice against evil enemies of truth like u asked us to
U told me loyalty is royalty but I truly wish there was more I could do
2 years since ur martyrdom 50 since yo grandfathers
Still a worldwide revolution going fyah burnin hotter
5 pillars of Islam remain strong in hearts and practice
We ride in solidarity till Judgment day we taking action!
Free’em all — -Takbir — -ALLAHUAKBAR
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