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 recent as 2019. As of present, only the cities of Berkeley and Oakland in California, observe the holiday with city offices and schools closed.[1]
History
The Malcolm X Day holiday has been an official holiday in the municipality of Berkeley, California since 1979.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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[5] as a federal holiday.[6] In 1993, this holiday was proposed at the federal level to Congress as H.J.R. #323 by Congressman Charles Rangel.[7] 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.[8] Though the resolution passed making the holiday official, the Illinois official list of holidays still has yet to reflect the holiday.[9]
Schools such as the Malcolm X Elementary School in Washington, D.C., mark this holiday through UPEACE, US's DCPEACE program.[12] The first known celebration of Malcolm X Day took place in Washington, D.C., in 1971.[13] Was once proposed as a holiday.
Holiday marked with an official event in Jacksonville in the Historic Durkeville neighborhood. The events are marked with live performances and a parade.[14]
Malcolm X Day was celebrated in Malcolm X's birth city of Omaha starting in 1968.[19] The holiday was celebrated from 1968 until at least 1997, with official proclamations from the City of Omaha for several years.
New York
Malcolm X Day is celebrated in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City with a music event.[20]
(federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies
