Oratory, music, poetry and dance were combined in a well-attended ceremony which, in addition to highlighting the legacy of Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925), demonstrated the strength of the cultural and friendship ties that unite the peoples of the United States and Cuba.

Among the speakers were Obi Egbuna, president of the Cuba-Zimbabwe Friendship Association, and young lawyer and community activist Jordan Strudwick, who highlighted the historical significance of the meeting between Malcolm X and the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, at the Theresa Hotel in Harlem (New York), on September 19, 1960.

Regarding the commemoration, artist and activist Rafiki Morris, in his remarks to the audience, encouraged reading Malcolm X’s autobiography. “I think it’s important because his enemies want to take it and make it their own,” he stressed.

“It was Malcolm who said we had to come together and build the African united front,” Morris added as he insisted that many of the things “he taught us have yet to be fulfilled.”

The activist also denounced that Israeli Zionism continues to oppress and exploit the Palestinian people and that the same Zionism is an enemy of the African people.

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