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Selma: One of Malcolm X’s Last Stops

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The state of Alabama with its deep-seated allegiance to Jim Crow claimed the attention of both Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. The two men were in Selma on the same day, February 4, 1965 addressing two different groups of young civil rights fighters. It turned out to be one of Malcolm’s last appearances.

For many the Oscar-nominated movie “Selma” uncovers the little known fact that Malcolm X and Dr. King were Selma at the same time. Malcolm spoke to a crowd at Brown Chapel AME Church in support of their efforts to register African American voters. The fact that most were unaware of this information underscores the lack of understanding of Malcolm X’s involvement in actively advancing the rights of African Americans. He founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity.

Saladin Ambar is an assistant political science professor at Lehigh University. In his book Malcolm X at Oxford Union: Racial Politics in a Global Era, he writes that Malcolm X is largely ignored because “he doesn’t fit neatly into the conventional story of America having righted her wrongs during the Civil Rights era.”

Ambar views Malcolm as working with an international perspective. He says, “Malcolm recognized that the fate of colonized peoples all over the world was very much a part of the Black freedom struggle in America.” Ambar adds that Malcolm X saw the connections between what was going on with the Black struggle in Birmingham, Alabama and the struggle of Black immigrants in Birmingham, England.

Two months before his assassination at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, Malcolm gave a speech during a debate at Oxford Union which is part of England’s Oxford University. Ambar’s book focuses on that speech. “Malcolm’s speech at Oxford is, inmy eyes,the most telling document we have regarding his political philosophy and perspectives just before he died, ” he says.

That two powerful civil rights leaders met only once in their lives is quite remarkable. And that meeting was “brief and coincidental” according to noted theologian and author, Dr. James Cone. Cone writes in his book, Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare, about the conversation between the two.

According to Cone, it went as follows:

Dr. King said,  “Well Malcolm, good to see you.”  

Malcolm X replied, “Good to see up.”

Now, you’re going to get investigated,” Malcolm said as the two men departed.

Dr. Cone says the two men saw each other as fellow freedom fighters struggling against the same evil: racism. That one is celebrated and remembered more than the other might be an example of the very unjust narrative both dedicated their lives to eliminating.

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Trump Signs Executive Orders That Will Impact HBCUs and Black Schoolchildren

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”

According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance. 

The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”

On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.

During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it. 

At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”

She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.

Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.

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President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

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President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.


Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.


Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”


Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.


The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.


Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.


“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”


President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

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The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

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The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

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