Event | 100 Years Malcolm X: His Legacy for Black (and) Muslim Communities

Event | 100 Years Malcolm X: His Legacy for Black (and) Muslim Communities
Dates and times: 11 May 2025, 14:30 (Movie) & 15 May, 19:30-21:30 (Panel)
Location: Amsterdam Bijlmer & Amsterdam New-West*
Organizers: Nawal Mustava (UvA), in partnership with The Black Archives, de Moslimarchief, and Cinema De Vlugt.
Contact & registration: n.mustafa@uva.nl
Registration deadline: 11 May 2025
Credits: 1 ECTS (more information upon request)

*Movie: https://www.cinemadevlugt.nl/film/malcolm-x/
*Panel: https://www.theblackarchives.nl/100yearsmalcolmx.html

Malcolm X remains one of the most polemical figures of the 20th century. His critiques of systemic oppression and racial injustice—rooted in racial capitalism, colonialism, Trans-Atlantic slavery, and Western imperialism—remain as urgent today as they were during his lifetime. Malcolm X was not only a civil rights leader, but also a global thinker, whose philosophy challenges us to rethink resistance, power, and solidarity in contemporary struggles for justice, including the fight against Islamophobia, the oppression of Palestinians, and the broader struggle against neocolonialism. Despite his significant influence, Malcolm X was often feared and vilified. He was labeled as a dangerous radical because of his uncompromising commitment to truth, self-determination, and liberation. His calls for self-defense and Black self-determination were misrepresented as militant extremism, making him a target of government surveillance and media distortion. Mainstream narratives in both academia and activism often sideline his many contributions and/or sanitize his radical critiques of oppression; thereby leading to erasure and misremembrance of his legacy.

From his early days in the Nation of Islam to his later embrace of Sunni Islam and global solidarity, Malcolm X’s evolution underscores the necessity of continuous learning and adaptation in the struggle for justice and liberation. He continues to inspire Black and Muslim activists, scholars and religious leaders worldwide. His speeches, autobiographies, and his intellectual and religious journey offer powerful frameworks for confronting systemic inequality, making his work essential to today’s movements for justice.

Yet despite his global impact, Malcolm X has often been misrepresented. His advocacy for self-defense and Black autonomy was distorted as extremism, making him a target of state surveillance and media manipulation. Mainstream accounts in both academia and activism frequently sideline or sanitize his radical ideas, risking the erasure of his enduring contributions.

This event is both a celebration and a critical engagement with Malcolm X’s legacy on the centenary of his birth. In collaboration with archivists, scholoars, and artists, and through film and dialogue, we ask:

• How do Malcolm X’s ideas continue to inform contemporary struggles for justice?
• What can we learn from his evolution as a leader and thinker?
• How do we safeguard and carry forward his revolutionary vision?

Programme/schedule for the event

Panel: 100 Years Malcolm X: His Legacy for Black (and) Muslim Communities

Speakers and Program  
Mini-lecture 1: Malcolm X in the Black liberation movement
Mini-lecture 2: Malcolm X as a Muslim in the Islamic tradition
Mini-lecture 3: The influence of women in his life, with a focus on his sister Ella Collins

After the lectures, there will be panel discussion and time for audience questions.

Speaker

• Dr. Kehinde Andrews
• Ouiam Kaddam
• Dr, Nawal Mustafa

MALCOLM X – Movie

• 14:30 – Walk-in
• 14:45 – intro + Movie
• After-talk with Dr. Nawal Mustafa