Malcolm X House Site
Encyclopedia
The Malcolm X House Site located at 3448 Pinkney Street in North Omaha, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

, marks the place where Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...

 first lived with his family. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1984 and is also on the Nebraska list of heritage sites.

History

Malcolm Little was born at University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...

 Hospital on May 19, 1925 to Earl and Louise Little. Earl Little was a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 minister and active in the local community. In his autobiography, Malcolm X stated that his family left Omaha for Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

 in 1926 because of threats from the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...

.

The house was torn down in 1965, before the owners, the Moore family, knew about the connection with Malcolm X. Malcolm X's significance in American history and culture was honored when the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on March 1, 1984. This recognition is marked at the site.. A State Historical Marker was added in 1987.

Civic and union activist Rowena Moore
Rowena Moore
Rowena Moore was a union and civic activist, and founder of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation in Omaha, Nebraska. She led the effort to have the Malcolm X House Site recognized for its association with the life of the national civil rights leader...

, whose father had lived in the house and owned the property, led efforts to have the house site recognized as an historic site to acknowledge Malcolm X's importance. She said her family was unaware of the connection until her sister discovered it by reading Malcolm X's autobiography in 1970. She also hoped to build a museum there in his honor.. Moore purchased more property around the site.

Today the 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of land are owned by the Malcolm X Foundation. They have plans to purchase more property to create a park, and to connect it to the municipal Adams Park to the south. In 2008 the foundation established six plots on the site for a community garden.

See also

  • Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska
    Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska
    The Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska has roots that extend back until at least 1912. With a history of racial tension that starts before the founding of the city, Omaha has been the home of numerous overt efforts related to securing civil rights for African Americans since at least the...

  • History of North Omaha, Nebraska
    History of North Omaha, Nebraska
    The history of North Omaha, Nebraska includes wildcat banks, ethnic enclaves, race riots and social change spanning over 200 years. With a recorded history that pre-dates the rest of the city, North Omaha has roots back to 1812 with the founding of Fort Lisa...

  • Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska

External links

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