Recent press reports have revealed that: “The family of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X marked on Tuesday the anniversary of his 1965 assassination by announcing plans to sue agencies including the CIA, FBI, the New York Police Department and others for $100 million, accusing them of playing a role in his death.” (1)
The move follows the 2021 exoneration for the murder of Muhammad Abdul Aziz (Norman 3X Butler) and Khalil Islam (Thomas 15X Johnson – posthumously), with an apology and $36m payout on behalf of the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. stating “it was clear these men did not receive a fair trial… [and there were] …serious, unacceptable violations of the law and the public trust.” (2)
Vance’s epiphany apparently came after watching Abdur-Rahman Muhammad’s Henry Louis Gates’ produced 2020 Netflix series Who Killed Malcolm X? (3) which itself is interesting given that the series has been roundly dismissed by disciples of Malcolm X as “propaganda” promoting the twin theses of Manning Marable’s warped characterisation of Malcolm X, and the Nation Of Islam (NOI) being unilaterally being responsible for his murder. (4) Yet, the former premise was comprehensively demolished in Jared Ball and Todd Steven Burroughs’ edited A Lie Of Reinvention: Correcting Manning Marable’s Malcolm X. (5)
With regards to the NOI, arguably the most authoritative book on the subject, Baba Zak A Kondo’s 1993 Conspiracys: Unravelling the assassination of Malcolm X resolutely details the involvement of the U.S. state in the murder as well as the innocence of Aziz and Islam meaning that this information has been in the public domain for decades. (6)
The new demand by the Shabazz family follows the 2021 call for “restorative justice, compensation to the Shabazz family, a federal commission to examine murder” following the release of the so-called “deathbed confession” of NYPD operative Ray Wood. (7) Even here, Baba Zak Kondo asserts that apart from Wood’s direct role in compromising Malcolm X’s security there is little else in his revelations “to get excited about.” (8) Indeed, Kondo even addresses Woods’ role in his book published thirty years ago. (9)
Sis. Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s third daughter and co-administrator of his estate, said after filing notices of claim, which is the first step in the process, “agencies conspired with each other and with other individuals and acted, and failed to act, in such a way as to bring about the wrongful death of Malcolm X. For years our family has fought for the truth to come to light. We want justice served for our father.” (10)
However, academic Dr. Greg Kimanthi Carr, chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University, suggests we need to use an alternative term to justice in such cases: “There is no justice. There is no justice for a Counterintelligence program that identified and targeted leadership in Black revolutionary movements like the Panthers, New York 21—that targeted Black leadership.” (11)
Whether the term used is justice, compensation, reparations or whatever, what is required is more than the (belated) exoneration of the innocent and compensation to the victims – the guilty must also be brought to account. This is the challenge that our organising must contend with.
(1) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (15/06/20) Have we done Enough to Support Death in Police Custody Families? https://www.alkebulan.org/2020/06/14/aswag-284-bdc-support/; Sabrina-Maria Anderson (15/02/23) “I Felt Exposed, Isolated And Targeted”: Black Mums & Their Daughters On How UK Schools Are Failing Black Girls. https://blackballad.co.uk/views-voices/black-girls-experience-of-the-uk-education-system
(2) Aaron Katersky and Deena Zaru (31/10/22) Men exonerated in killing of Malcolm X to receive $36 million settlement after suing New York. https://abcnews.go.com/US/men-exonerated-killing-malcolm-receive-36-million-settlement/story?id=92401344
(3) Nik Popli (22/02/23) Why Malcolm X’s Family Is Suing the FBI, NYPD, and CIA 58 Years After His Death? https://time.com/6257699/malcolm-x-lawsuit-family-fbi-nypd-cia/
(4) Baba Zak Kondo (21/02/21) Omowale Malcolm X Observance 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSm7L-PTNUY&t=15195s
(5) Jared Ball and Todd Steven Burroughs (Eds) (2012) A Lie Of Reinvention: Correcting Manning Marable’s Malcolm X. Black Classic Press.
(6) Baba Zak Kondo (1993) Conspiracys: Unravelling the Assassination of Malcolm X. Nubia Press.
(7) Naba’a Muhammad, Daleel Jabir Muhammad and Starla Muhammad (24/02/21) Informant’s Confession Fuels Renewed Demand: Open all FBI, NYPD, Gov’t Files in Malcolm X Death. https://new.finalcall.com/2021/02/24/informants-confession-fuels-renewed-demand-open-all-fbi-nypd-govt-files-in-malcolm-x-death/
(8) Kondo (21/02/21). Op. cit.
(9) Kondo. (1993) p. 163.
(10) Associated Press (22/03/23) Malcolm X’s family announces lawsuit against CIA, FBI, NYPD for wrongful death. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/malcolm-xs-family-announces-lawsuit-against-cia-fbi-nypd-for-wrongful-death
(11) Muhammad, Muhammad and Muhammad. Op. cit.
We ask the question:
Malcolm X Case against FBI, CIA, NYPD – Why Now?
1) Can the murder case be re-opened?
2) Why did the 2020 Who Killed Malcolm X series have such an impact when a lot of the information was in the public domain?
3) Is it really justice if the guilty are not brought to account?
Our Special Guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of almost 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.
Baba Zak A Kondo: is a Professor of History at Baltimore City Community College where he has been for eighteen years. Before this Baba Zak spent fifteen years at Bowie State University in Maryland where he was the youngest full-time faculty member in its history. While there he founded and co-ordinated the Pan-Afrikan studies programme and was the recipient of numerous teaching awards. He has spent more than thirty-one years teaching history and Black Studies at the college level. Baba Zak is the author of Conspiracys: Unravelling the Assassination of Malcolm X, one of the most authoritative books on the subject and he currently working on the second edition. He is also the author of The Black Student’s Guide to Positive Education and For Homeboys: A Brother to Brother Monologue and was a contributor to A Lie Of Reinvention: Correcting Manning Marable’s Malcolm X.