As Malcolm X’s 100th birthday approaches next Monday, Black advocates are seeking to uplift his mother’s legacy through a pilgrimage aimed at connecting and edifying the global African Diaspora.
The prominent figure in African American history was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925. He was assassinated in February 1965 at 39 years old.
Malcolm X believed that his father, Earl Little, suffered a similar fate after the Ku Klux Klan consistently targeted their family. Yet little is known about his mother, Louise Little, who spent many years in a mental institution following her husband’s death, resulting in her eight children being placed in foster care.
The Institute of the Black World 21st Century, a Black think tank and advocacy organization, wants to illuminate Louise’s life to foster unity among people of African descent through a four-day pilgrimage to her birthplace, La Digue, Grenada.
“She was not just his mother. She was an activist. She was someone who was working around causes for people’s freedom before she left Grenada,” said Ron Daniels, veteran social and political activist and IBW president.
In 1939, Louise was declared mentally ill and institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital in Michigan, where she remained for nearly 25 years, until Malcolm X and his siblings successfully campaigned for her release in 1963. Malcolm X’s speeches and writings showed that he had mixed feelings about his mother.
Both Louise and her husband were members of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. Some suspect Earl was killed because of his ties to the UNIA.
“Her influence on Malcolm would’ve been foundational, just as other influencers were, so it’s important for us to uplift her and be intentional, because she’s a woman,” Daniels told Atlanta Black Star. “Because the contributions are not as well acknowledged as they are for men.”
At around 21 years old, Louise moved from Grenada to Montreal, where her uncle had emigrated years earlier, according to reports. There, he introduced her to the growing Black nationalist movement led by Garvey. Louise and Earl started their own chapter of the organization, and she reportedly wrote articles for the UNIA’s newspaper. Louise, a seamstress and designer by trade, taught her children the pillars of Pan-Africanism.
The African nationalist movement, which originated in the mid-19th century in the U.S., aimed to promote universal Black pride, unity and economic self-sufficiency. The UNIA is considered the foundation of the Pan-African movement.
By extension, the IBW and the pilgrimage share that same mission. The organization selected Grenada not only because of its connection to Louise but also because of its historical role as one of the most progressive Caribbean countries during the height of the Pan-African movement.
Most notably, the New Jewel Movement (NJM), led by Maurice Bishop, was a key force advocating for social justice, racial pride, and anti-imperialism on the island in the 1960s and 1970s. Bishop, who became Grenada’s prime minister after overthrowing the previous administration, was executed in 1983 during a violent coup. His body was never recovered. Like Malcolm, he also died at age 39.
IBW has formed an agreement with the current Grenadian administration to help revive the country’s progressive legacy. The pilgrimage is part of an action plan that also includes advocating for the repatriation of the remains of Bishop and other political figures.
The United States invaded Grenada six days after Bishop’s death during Operation Urgent Fury under President Ronald Reagan, and many Grenadians believe the U.S. knows the whereabouts of the remains and is withholding that information.
The pilgrimage, titled Echoes of Greatness, will take place from May 14–18.
Louise will be honored with a ceremony at her childhood home, where a soon-to-be-commissioned monument will be temporarily displayed on a billboard. This year’s Echoes of Greatness marks the launch of an annual pilgrimage to Grenada, which will eventually lead to the monument’s permanent installation.
Representatives from Malcolm X’s foundation and the Shabazz Center are expected to attend. Organizers say they plan to bring soil from Malcolm X’s birthplace in the U.S. to Grenada as part of the commemorative celebration.
About 60 special guests from around the globe have been invited, including Marcus Garvey’s son, Dr. Julius Garvey; Haitian American novelist Edwidge Danticat; civil rights activist Melina Abdullah; and leaders of the Movement for Black Lives. The four-day pilgrimage will also include events focused on women’s empowerment, economic self-reliance, and the initiation of cross-generational dialogue.
“As Black people, we have been displaced… but at the same point in time, the connection is African ancestry. If we take that back as far as we can go, it expands all the way back to the U.S., all the way back to Africa, all over the globe, and right back to us,” said IBW member Paulann Paterson. “So, it’s very important to remember that we are more connected than we are disconnected.”
