MALCOLM in the MIDDLE

Harlem World

The annual celebration of Black History Month in February is a timely reminder of democratic triumphalism, when Americans of color successfully multiplied their access to the American Dream. February is also the month when Malcolm X was assassinated in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. While Malcolm is largely remembered as a civil rights leader, his attention to the relationship between the built environment and its ecology can not be overlooked. Malcolm X possessed the components of an emerging urban practice/attitude in his  public work and an early contributor to the ascension of urban planning/urbanism as an area of praxis.

For tourists and residents alike, Malcolm’s presence in the built environment of New York City cannot be missed. Lenox Avenue, named after philanthropist James Lenox, was co-named in his honor. This “X”-axis forms the primary north-south trajectory in Harlem, extending from 100 St to 147 St. This corridor provides a central route that leads from Central Park to the Harlem River, with Morningside Heights to the west and East Harlem to the East.

The centrality of Malcolm in Harlem arose from the primacy of Harlem to Malcolm. Before his departure from the Nation of Islam, he had already founded Temple No. 7 at the Harlem YMCA. From Harlem, Malcolm launched his start-up The Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) in Washington Heights, traveled to Greenwich Village to co-write his biography with Alex Haley, and commuted back and forth to his home in East Elmhurst, Queens. Even after his departure from the Nation, Malcolm remained “right here in Harlem, which has the largest concentration of people of African descent that exists anywhere on this earth” to incubate his praxis.

Malcolm’s identification with Harlem and its population was reflected in his program for urban development. The OAAU charter outlined fives issues critical to the urban environment- education, public safety, social development, electoral politics, and the economy. For example, his education platform resembled best practices in the field- transformation of schools to be educational showcases and the participation of the community in local school boards. And his political platform emphasized the importance of voter registration.

The legacy of Malcolm X as an urbanist empowers the reader in two ways. First, it provides a snapshot of what his life was leading to. His experience as a hustler provided the skills and knowledge of the street; his leadership in the Nation of Islam brought him to New York City; and his establishment of the OAAU enfranchised the Harlem community to mediate the built environment with its ecology. Second, it positions Malcolm and Martin’s activism in the context of one another. As Martin reminded the country of its national, revolutionary ideals, Malcolm worked to realize these ideals in the urban environment. His actions presciently forecasts the primacy of the cities as the destination for millions of people to live and make a living.

On this anniversary of his passing, Malcolm’s legacy of urban activism is needed more than ever to ensure that New York City remains both a world-class destination and a city of immigrants. Alongside Jane Jacobs, and Robert Moses, Malcolm X may be recognized as shaping the built environment and ecology of New York City for future generations.