Photo Credits: The Internet
During last weekend’s 20th anniversary of the Million Man March, Nation of Islam leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan called upon the FBI to open their file on Malcolm X. He seeks the full release of the FBI’s Malcolm X file.
Farrakhan’s demand sought to put to rest public rumors that he participated in planning the assassination of Malcolm X following Malcolm’s break with the Nation of Islam back in 1965. Malcolm was killed on February 21, 1965, in a hail of gunfire, as he prepared to outline his plans for the Organization of Afro-American Unity, a secular organization that would address human rights violations committed by the American government upon it’s black citizens.
Prior to his break with Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm had been a mentor to Farrakhan. In previous speeches, Farrakhan has said that any member of the Nation of Islam in 1965 would have wanted to kill Malcolm, because Malcolm disclosed secrets about the personal life of the sects leader, Elijah Muhammad.
Photo Credits: Leon Fraizer
But on Saturday, he stopped short of repeating this statement and instead pointed to the fact that if the government had any proof that he participated in a conspiracy to murder Malcolm X they would have brought him up on charges by now; especially considering the fact Farrakhan has been an outspoken and uncompromising speaker against racist and discriminatory practices in the USA.
Farrakhan demanded that the FBI release their entire file on Malcolm X without redacting any information contained in their dossier on Malcolm.
Photo Credits: From the library collection of Harold Michael Harvey
In the Autobiography of Malcolm X, written with the assistance of Alex Haley, Malcolm stated several weeks before his death that certain circumstances that had occurred on a visit to Africa led him to believe that forces bigger than the Nation of Islam were out to kill him. Malcolm’s food had been poisoned during a visit to Mecca. He did not believe that the Nation of Islam had arms long enough to reach half way around the world to poison him.
It has been 50 years since Malcolm was killed. Perhaps, it is time for the truth and nothing but the truth to be made known.
Harold Michael Harvey is an American novelist and essayist, the author of Paper puzzle and Justice in the Round. He can be contacted at haroldmichaelharvey.com .