[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 863 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 863
Reaffirming the importance of ensuring justice is provided to Malcolm X
and the need to reopen the investigation into the assassination of this
profound and fearless civil rights leader.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 25, 2020
Mr. Espaillat (for himself, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Omar, Mr. Carson
of Indiana, and Ms. Tlaib) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the importance of ensuring justice is provided to Malcolm X
and the need to reopen the investigation into the assassination of this
profound and fearless civil rights leader.
Whereas Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925 and was a leading steward and
voice of inspiration for the civil rights movement in the 1950s and
1960s;
Whereas Malcolm grew up in poor urban neighborhoods, spent the remainder of his
childhood in a series of foster homes after the death of his father and
institutionalization of his mother, and despite being an extremely
intelligent and ardent student at the top of his class, dropped out of
school after being told by his teacher that he could never fulfill his
dream of becoming a lawyer because he was Black;
Whereas after dropping out of school, Malcolm eventually turned to drugs and
crime and spent years in prison, but fortunately used that time as a
period of self-enlightenment and reform;
Whereas by the time Malcolm was released from prison, he was a changed man and a
devout follower of Islam, who changed his surname to ``X'' in order to
signify his family's unknown African tribal name that had been lost when
they were given their slave master's name ``Little'', before he
eventually adopted the Muslim name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz;
Whereas Malcolm X dedicated his newfound freedom to advocating for African
Americans and to sharing his faith, quickly becoming a national
spokesman for the Nation of Islam, and was later appointed as a
minister;
Whereas Malcolm X was a skillful orator whose beliefs as a Black Muslim made him
a controversial figure who was more radical than the mainstream civil
rights movement, but his ability to continue learning and evolving led
to changing his views on Black nationalism and becoming a proponent of
international Black consciousness and integration;
Whereas despite constantly receiving death threats, being a target for
assassination, and barely escaping his home that was firebombed while
his wife and children were inside, Malcolm X continued to fearlessly
dismiss the ongoing dangers to his family and himself;
Whereas, on February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated while delivering a
speech at the Audubon Ballroom, which was located in the Washington
Heights neighborhood in Manhattan;
Whereas Talmadge Hayer, also known as Thomas Hagan, is one of three individuals
charged with the assassination of Malcolm X, along with Norman ``3X''
Butler and Thomas ``15X'' Johnson;
Whereas even at the time of their initial arrest, there was widespread belief
that Mr. Johnson and Mr. Butler were not involved with Malcolm X's
assassination and had been erroneously convicted at trial;
Whereas such sentiments deepened following Mr. Hayer's sworn testimony, which
was conspicuously disregarded, during trial in which he stated that he
and four other assailants carried out the assassination of which Butler
and Johnson were not involved, an assertion that Hayer subsequently
reaffirmed in two affidavits;
Whereas because Hayer's testimony went unheeded, criminal justice activists such
as the Innocence Project have determined that the initial trial
proceedings presumably led to the unjust detention of two young men for
two decades; and
Whereas the recently released Netflix docuseries titled ``Who Killed Malcolm
X?'' serves as a serendipitous reminder of the injustices surrounding
this case by demonstrating the gaps in prosecutorial and investigative
processes and the attestations against the four coconspirators named in
Hayer's affidavit, further compelling the need for the Department of
Justice to assist the New York County District Attorney's Office, which
has publicly committed to revisiting the case: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes that Malcolm X will forever be remembered
for preaching an unvarnished assessment of the injustices and
punitive treatment that African Americans have endured at the
hand of systemic racism for centuries and effortlessly fusing
together elements of both moral clarity and oratorical
articulation in his advocacy for racial equality, mobilizing
tens of thousands of activists and inspiring a broader cultural
revolution;
(2) recognizes that Malcolm X was a leading figure in a
movement that fundamentally changed our country, who historians
and scholars consider to be one of the most influential leaders
of the civil rights movement and who was a true voice of the
community's pent-up frustrations and anger, inspiring and
motivating the African-American community to be courageous and
challenge White authority, no longer allowing themselves to be
defined in inferior or derogatory terms;
(3) expresses that it is in the best interest of Malcolm
X's family, Mr. Butler, the Johnson family, historians, the
broader African-American community, and the entire country to
reinvestigate the assassination of Malcolm X; and
(4) urges that the Department of Justice and local law
enforcement dedicate the resources this matter demands in the
pursuit of clarity, justice, and resolution.
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