For decades, the birthday of El-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz/Omowale/Malcolm X has been celebrated by Pan Afrikanists, Black Nationalists, freedom fighters, civil rights activists, Black Power organizers and the general public. Many of us consider The Autobiography of Malcolm X to be the one book that truly inspired us to study or even embrace a life of Pan Afrikan activism. His growth from street hustler to Nation of Islam national representative to champion of universal human rights, even as he maintained his commitment to Black People’s right to defend ourselves against right-wing White violence and oppression, continue to inspire many of us to follow his example of principled commitment to building and nourishing the Black Community while championing global human rights.
Every year, the Soul School Institute would sponsor a bus trip to New York City to commemorate Malcolm X’s birthday. Babatunji Balogun, Soul School Institute’s leader, arranged for the bus, planned the itinerary and provided instruction as we would visit places such as the eateries where Ancestor Malcolm would eat and teach adherents and idle passersby, the Audubon Ballroom where assassins extinguished his shining light in a hail of gunfire, and the Ferncliff Cemetary where the remains of Ancestor Malcolm and his wife Dr. Betty Shabazz now lay in eternal rest. The bus trip provided an opportunity for those of us who had studied him to see first-hand the world in which he lived, for those unfamiliar with him to learn more about his role in shaping the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, and for all of us to pay respects, however meager, to his memory and enduring legacy.
The bus trips to New York were sadly interrupted for several years, first by the COVID Pandemic, then by the untimely passing of Babatunji Balogun in 2021, reportedly from COVID. Since that time, there has been a void in our consciousness as a community, once filled by the annual Malcolm X Birthday Bus Trip. Now that void is being filled again.
Bro. Haki Ammi is the President of the Teaching Artist Institute (TAI) as well as a supporter of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, National Action Network and numerous other Civil Rights, Black Nationalist and Pan Afrikan organizations in Maryland, the United States and internationally. On Monday, May 19, what would be Ancestor Malcolm X’s 100th Birthday, Bro. Haki is sponsoring the “100 For 100” Malcolm X Remembrance Tour,
“a transformative and educational journey as we celebrate the life and legacy Malcolm X on his 100th birthday. This historic day trip, organized by the Global World Activists community, offers a unique opportunity to explore key landmarks in the fight for social justice and civil rights.” (from the announcement and flyer)
Scheduled trip details include visits to the Schomburg Center, the Shabazz Center, the Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm X’s Burial Site, the African Burial Grounds and an African Marketplace.
The bus departs from the Lot H Parking Lot (west on North Avenue to the 2500 block, then north to Warwick Avenue, to Loop Road, then to Lot H) at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland at 6:30 AM sharp. Tickets are $145 per person and include breakfast, snacks and lunch. It is recommended to carpool to the Lot H Parking Lot if possible.
The flyer is pictured above. For tickets or more information, please contact Bro. Haki Ammi, (410) 209-9687.