Black History
Nebraska Inducts Malcolm X Its 1st Black In Hall-of-Fame
Nebraska honored Omaha-born civil rights leader Malcolm X by inducting him into the Hall of Fame with a bronze bust unveiled at the State Capitol Rotunda. The event celebrated his legacy and contributions to the fight for equality.
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By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide
Nebraska recently inducted Omaha-born civil rights leader Malcolm X into the Hall of Fame at a May 19 induction ceremony held in the State Capitol Rotunda, where his family, local lawmakers and community leaders unveiled a bronze bust that honors him.
Standing beside the bronze bust designed by sculptor Nathan Murray, one of Malcolm X’s six daughters, Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz, of New York, said, “I am humbled and honored by the embrace of the residents of Nebraska. Thank you so much. Let Malcolm’s dedication to truth and justice inspire us all.”
Shabazz added, “While my father and his family did not remain long in Omaha after his birth, it is here that the roots of Malcolm X were planted.”
Rowena Moore launched the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation in 1971. Before she died in 1998, she also served as chairwoman of the Nebraska Black Political Caucus and the Douglas County Democratic Party.
“She played a role in much of what has been done to honor Malcolm X in Nebraska,” according to a February 2024 Omaha World-Herald report. She helped get a historical marker placed at the site of his birth.
Omaha renamed a section of a street to honor Malcolm X in 2003. The spot also is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Now, JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike is the executive director of the Malcolm X Foundation, She is a University of Nebraska graduate who assumed the post in February 2023. She resides in North Omaha with her husband and newborn daughter.
At the recent unveiling ceremony, LeFlore-Ejike said, “He evolved into the human rights hero we know and love today.”
LeFlore-Ejike’s involvement with the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation stretches back to age 12, when she first enrolled in dance classes at the foundation, which is located on a multi-acre campus that includes a memorial, visitors center, and community vegetable gardens. It sponsors programs and events. It is located at 3448 Evans St., one block from the home where Malcolm was born on Pinkney Street.
LeFlore-Ejike, the foundation’s new executive director, also served at the foundation for several decades as a longtime volunteer board member, as well as vice president.
“Early on I was a nerd for Black history, Black studies,”LeFlore-Ejike said in a 2022 interview in NOISE, a community-led news organization that aims to address the information gap within North Omaha, according to its website.
“My mama [Angela LeFlore] had the Autobiography of Malcolm X readily available to read at home,” LeFlore-Ejike said. “Her old copy was the first I picked up. She had books by Terry McMillan, Iyanla Vanzant, Maya (Angelou). I was so exposed to how Black people have celebrated each other through the art of writing.”
While Gov. Jim Pillen recently proclaimed May 22 as Malcolm X Day in Nebraska, the effort to induct Malcom X into Nebraska’s Hall of Fame dates back to 2004. Considered too controversial, he was consistently rejected as a Hall of Fame nominee until his name was approved in September 2022, according to news reports.
“Malcolm X used the lessons he learned early in life and his intellectual power, dedication and perseverance in the fight for freedom and equality for all during the civil rights movement in America,” commission chairman Ron Hull said when Malcolm X was announced as a Hall of Fame inductee on Sept. 12, 2022. “His work and his legacy continue to impact the citizens of the world.”
This past March, The Nebraska Legislature passed a bill to recognize the civil rights icon every May 19, the day Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, in 1925.
The legislation falls short of declaring the day a state holiday, which was introduced in a bill by Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney — one of two Black members of the Nebraska Legislature. McKinney’s bill failed to gain traction mainly because of objections to the projected cost of more than $500,000 a year to declare a state holiday. That cost comes from holiday pay for state workers.
Instead, McKinney added an amendment to a bill that declares Oct. 17 as Missing Persons Day. The amendment recognizes May 19 as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, Malcolm X Day, to allow Nebraska schools to hold exercises to recognize the civil rights icon.
