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New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Gov. Hochul renames Central Park subway station after civil rights revolutionary Malcolm X
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul renamed a Central Park subway station after Malcolm X, the prominent civil rights leader who was a longtime Harlem resident, as part of the city's Harlem Week celebration. The legislation penned by Hochul will rename the 110 St-Central Park North subway station to 110 St-Malcolm X Plaza in honor of the slain revolutionary, who lived sporadically in the neighborhood between his late teens and the final decade of his life. 5 A Central Park subway station was renamed after Malcolm X on Sunday. Tomas Advertisement This year's celebration also marked the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, the era following the Great Migration where 175,000 black residents moved to the neighborhood to escape the rampant racism and Jim Crow legislation plaguing the South. 'One of the best ways to celebrate the rich history and community of Harlem is to recognize the contributions of Malcolm X and the Harlem Renaissance to New York and to the world,' Hochul said. 'From the struggle for civil rights and equality to boundary-breaking cultural impacts of American icons like Zora Neale Hurston and Duke Ellington, Harlem has been at the center of progress in our nation for generations.' Advertisement 5 The renaming was part of Harlem Week. Tomas E. Gaston Malcolm X, a contested Black Nationalist leader up through his assassination in 1965, sought to strike a balance with Martin Luther King Jr.'s early pacifist approach and the raw violence people of color faced in America. Early in his civil rights advocacy, Malcolm X, originally born Malcolm Little before abandoning his 'slave name,' was a devout follower of Elijah Muhammad, a black separatist and second leader of the Nation of Islam, according to the African American Intellectual History Society. 5 Malcolm X was one of the most prominent leaders during the Civil Rights Movement. Andrew Schwartz / Advertisement Malcolm X's faith shaped much of his work, including his insistence on racial separation and his criticism of King's nonviolent approach. But in 1964, Malcolm X suddenly denounced separatism after a fateful pilgrimage to Mecca and falling out with Muhammad, citing a 'spiritual rebirth,' as reported by the New York Times at the time. King and Malcolm X were often perceived as having butted heads because of their opposing approaches, with Malcolm X largely lobbing most of the critiques during his public appearances. 5 Malcolm X lived in Harlem during his late teens and the final decade of his life. Tomas E. Gaston Advertisement The legends only met once while watching early Senate discussions of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964, mere months before Malcolm X's death. Malcolm X's stances were always malleable, even more so after his pilgrimage, and at the duo's single meeting, he apparently told King that he would be throwing himself 'into the heart of the civil rights struggle,' according to PBS. 5 Malcolm X was assassinated in Manhattan in 1965. Andrew Schwartz / 'People always talk about this big transformation. But when you look at him, he continually evolved. He continued to research, to learn, and to adopt his new knowledge in his work,' Malcolm X's daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, told the Harvard Law Record in 2011. While Malcolm X was starting to solidify his reshaped approach, he was gunned down by two members of the Nation of Islam while he hosted a meeting for the Organization of Afro-American Unity in Manhattan. Other parts of Harlem already bear his name, including the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market and the Malcolm Shabazz Plaza.
Mint
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
The coup leader who's become an anti-Western hero in Africa and beyond
Three years ago, Ibrahim Traoré was a junior army officer in Burkina Faso's armed forces. Today, he has emerged as a surprising anti-Western hero preaching self-reliance and resilience with fans across Africa and beyond. Since toppling the West African country's previous military leader in 2022 and making himself president, Traoré has won the kind of glowing admiration from people across the continent that has eluded African leaders since the days of antiapartheid icon Nelson Mandela and the generation that led the independence struggles. 'Many Africans are disillusioned with the West," said Ayotunde Abiodun, an analyst with SBM Intelligence, a Nigeria-based geopolitical research consulting firm. Traoré, he said, has become the anti-imperialist face of that sentiment. Russia has tried to court him, seeing him as a way to accelerate the decline of France's influence across the arid countries of the Sahel, the wide band of land bordering the southern reaches of the Sahara. But Traoré has his own agenda of reviving the Pan-African movements of the past. Whether he succeeds in putting Burkina Faso on a stronger footing and pushing back a long-running Islamist insurgency could influence what happens elsewhere across the region. The 37-year-old appears to be genuinely popular as people across the region tire of a generation of aging leaders widely seen as corrupt and beholden to the West. In April, thousands of Burkina Faso citizens poured into the streets of Ouagadougou, the capital city, in solidarity with Traoré after an alleged counter-counter-coup failed to oust him from office. The protesters were also incensed by comments by Gen. Michael Langley, head of U.S. Africa Command, accusing Traoré of misusing the country's gold reserves. Traoré partisans saw Langley's comments as a pretext for Western intervention, and members of the African diaspora held solidarity marches to show their support for him. In London, Traoré supporters held banners that read, 'Hands off African resources, Hands off Ibrahim Traoré." In Jamaica, demonstrations took place outside the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, and on the north coast in Montego Bay, where protesters sang, played drums and hailed Traoré as a 'Black liberator." Motorized rickshaws, a common mode of transport among working people, display photos of the beret-wearing Traoré in Nairobi, a city on the opposite side of the continent. Part of Traoré's appeal comes from how he styles himself after his countryman and Pan-Africanist leader Thomas Sankara. Often called 'Africa's Che Guevara," Sankara renamed the Republic of the Upper Volta as Burkina Faso, or 'land of the upright people," and set about making the country more self-sufficient before he was assassinated in 1987. In taking a leaf out of his book, Traoré has revived interest in Sankara and his pan-Africanism. Last month, a newspaper published by the Nation of Islam, the Black religious and political movement of Malcolm X and Louis Farrakhan, featured side-by-side photos of Traoré and Sankara on its front page. Traoré primarily came to power on a promise to improve security, however. As a captain, he ousted Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had himself overthrown a civilian government eight months earlier. Both Traoré and Damiba had justified their actions by accusing their predecessors of failing to quell dual insurgencies by Islamists affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State. Traoré has since surfed a wave of public discontent with France, the former colonial power, whose continued involvement in the political and economic lives of its former West African colonies created resentment, according to analysts. In a popular move, Traoré expelled French troops, who had also been unable to tame the insurgencies. U.S. Green Berets, who had arrived to train local commandos shortly before the coup, suspended military aid after the putsch. Donning the populist mantle, Traoré renegotiated international gold-mining contracts to guarantee the government a greater share of the revenue. He distributed tractors and cheap fertilizer to farmers and built factories, such as a tomato-processing plant and the country's first gold refinery—efforts to keep value-added businesses at home. A survey by Afrobarometer, a Ghana-based pollster, found last year that a majority of Burkina Faso's people supported military rule as the best way to combat corrupt civilian elites. The survey showed that across the continent, more than half of Africans were willing to tolerate military intervention in politics if 'elected leaders abuse power for their own ends." Two-thirds, however, rejected military rule as the default system of government. Analysts say Traoré has gained strong support from the country's rural poor by placing land under state control, nullifying previous land allocations that favored agribusinesses and recognizing customary rights of rural communities. Supporters see the measures as an attempt to undo decades of land policies that favored corporate investors over smallholder farmers, said Burkina Faso analyst Luc Damiba. The new land policies have also gained him favor from young people, who have cheered his promise of land and agricultural training. Analysts say sections of Burkina Faso's urban, educated classes, including academics, journalists and civil‑society activists, worry that Traoré doesn't intend to return the country to elected civilian government. Traoré has postponed elections scheduled for last year until 2029, saying voting will take place when the military has wrestled enough territory from jihadists to allow all citizens to vote. Like the African liberation leaders of the 1960s, Traoré has cozied up to Moscow. Last month, he attended a Moscow parade celebrating the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany. Russia has launched an influence operation in Burkina Faso involving pro-Moscow local radio stations as well as sports and musical events, says the nonprofit African Digital Democracy Observatory. Paid content lauding Traoré also began to appear across pro-Russian social-media platforms after he seized power, according to a 2023 report by the Paris-based watchdog All Eyes on Wagner. 'Allowing Burkinabé to sleep peacefully and live without hunger. These are his ambitions. This man deserves the greatest respect," read a caption on one Traoré portrait. The posts were disseminated widely across the continent by the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary force active in Africa, the watchdog said, though only a fifth of Burkina Faso's population has internet access and only 12% use social media, limiting the domestic influence of online campaigns. Russia has a clear interest in getting on Traoré's good side. Hobbled by Western sanctions, it needs gold to shore up its struggling economy and has expanded its presence around West Africa through resource‑for‑security pacts, providing military trainers, mercenary units and media campaigns in exchange for mining rights. Burkina Faso, a major gold producer, struck a deal with the Russian company Nordgold, which took an 85% stake in a gold-mining project. The government, which retained 15% of the ownership, expects the project to contribute $101 million to its coffers over an eight-year span. However, unlike in countries like Mali or the Central African Republic, where Moscow's mercenaries play a key role in protecting local regimes, Traoré has been reluctant to accept Russian boots on the ground. A 400-strong contingent of Russian mercenaries, who arrived in Ouagadougou with much fanfare last year, departed within three months, according to current and former French and Burkinabé officials. 'Traoré feels the army is the guarantor to preserve his country's sovereignty," said a former minister in the Burkina Faso government. 'Russian mercenaries are not his cup of tea." Traoré's Achilles' heel, however, may be the very issue he used to sell his power grab: security. Violence has gotten worse since the military seized power. More than 17,000 people have been killed in insurgent violence since the takeover—more than triple the death toll from the final three years of civilian rule, according to an analysis by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, part of the Pentagon's National Defense University. The center analyzed data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a U.S.-based nonprofit monitoring service. In August, jihadists massacred hundreds of villagers in Barsalogho, a remote town in north-central Burkina Faso. Rights groups report that the Burkina Faso military has committed extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions during Traoré's time in power, and has used an emergency law to forcibly conscript civilians, including critics and activists, to quell dissent. Burkina Faso officials didn't respond to requests for comment. 'There's a possibility for this symbolism and popular legitimacy that he enjoys right now to erode if there's no improvement in the security situation and economic condition of the Burkina Faso people between now and then," said Abiodun, the Nigeria-based analyst. Write to Caroline Kimeu at and Benoit Faucon at
NBC News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Texas' Ten Commandments in schools law challenged by families and faith leaders in lawsuit
A group of Dallas-area families and faith leaders have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a new Texas law that requires copies of the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom. The federal lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims the measure is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state. Texas is the latest and largest state to attempt a mandate that has run into legal challenges elsewhere. A federal appeals court on Friday blocked a similar law in Louisiana. Some families have sued over Arkansas' law. The plaintiffs in the Texas lawsuit are a group of Christian and Nation of Islam faith leaders and families. It names the Texas Education Agency, state education Commissioner Mike Morath and three Dallas-area school districts as defendants. 'The government should govern; the Church should minister,' the lawsuit said. 'Anything else is a threat to the soul of both our democracy and our faith.' Ten Commandments laws are among efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Supporters say the Ten Commandments are part of the foundation of the United States' judicial and educational systems and should be displayed. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Ten Commandments measure into law on June 21. He also has enacted a measure requiring school districts to provide students and staff a daily voluntary period of prayer or time to read a religious text during school hours. The Texas Education Agency did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Abbott, who was Texas attorney general in 2005 when he successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court to keep a Ten Commandments monument on the state Capitol grounds, defended the state classrooms law in a social media post on Wednesday. 'Faith and freedom are the foundation of our nation,' Abbott posted on X. 'If anyone sues, we'll win that battle.' Opponents say the Ten Commandments and prayer measures infringe on others' religious freedom, and more lawsuits are expected. The American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have said they will file lawsuits opposing the Ten Commandments measure. Under the new law, public schools must post in classrooms a 16-by-20-inch (41-by-51-centimeter) or larger poster or framed copy of a specific English version of the commandments, even though translations and interpretations vary across denominations, faiths and languages and may differ in homes and houses of worship. The lawsuit notes that Texas has nearly 6 million students in about 9,100 public schools, including thousands of students of faiths that have little or no connection to the Ten Commandments, or may have no faith at all.
Indian Express
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
When Tom Cruise tried to recruit ‘weak-minded' Seth Rogen into Scientology: ‘Thank God Judd Apatow was there or…'
Actor Seth Rogen is turning heads and taking names with his new series The Studio, where the narrative attempts to pull back the curtain on Hollywood and what all goes on behind the big screen. Like the nature of the show, Rogen has always been outspoken about his experiences as a part of the film industry and about his relationships with his co-stars, whether good or sour. Being the comedic genius he is, Rogen was once called by none other than Tom Cruise to help him make a comedy film. However, things quickly turned away from the main motive of the meeting and somehow transitioned into Cruise talking about religion and how the 'big pharma' companies were plotting against him. Maybe Cruise had some Ethan Hunt flashbacks, a character who often finds himself being hunted, misunderstood or both. As according to Rogen, Cruise seemed all set to recruit him and actor Judd Apatow into the Scientology camp. 'I am a huge Tom Cruise fan, and I watch all his movies. We had a long meeting with him, and a couple of hours into it, the Scientology stuff comes up and how weird he has looked in the press lately. He tells us, 'If you just let me tell you what it was really about and give me 20 minutes, you would say no f***** way.' Rogen added that he and Apatow looked at each other confused and weren't really ready for converting to a new religion right then. ALSO READ: Tom Cruise shrugs off father's day question after daughter Suri dropped his name following a decade of of estrangement He said, 'Cruise started explaining to us how the pharmaceutical industry was trying to sabotage him and make him look bad in front of everyone. Cruise said, 'They're scrambling, and they're doing everything they can to discredit me so I won't hurt sales anymore'.' The 'making me look bad in the press' thing which Cruise is referring to is a collection of several instances where the actor condemned the use of antidepressants and, of course, his infamous lunge on Oprah Winfrey's sofa in 2006. When Rogen asked him about the Oprah show, Cruise said that the media edited the video to make it look worse and then compared his situation to Louis Farrakhan. For context, Louis was the head of the Nation of Islam and had made several anti-Semitic comments, including comparing the Jews to cockroaches. Rogen admitted that 'of all the strange sentences I've heard in my life, Tom Cruise name-dropping Louis Farrakhan is top three.' Rogen, who described himself as 'generally weak-willed, weak-minded person', said he was thankful the director was with him. He added: 'Thank god Judd was like, 'Eh, I think we're good. Let's just talk about movies and stuff.'' Cruise is one of Scientology's most famous followers and earlier described the religion as 'beautiful'. He was introduced to the organisation by his first wife Mimi Rogers in 1986 and has followed it since. Along with The Studio, Rogen will also be appearing in the upcoming film Good Fortune, with Aziz Ansari and Keanu Reeves. The movie marks Aziz's directorial debut.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
World marks Malcolm X's 100th anniversary of his Omaha birth
A bust sculpture of Malcolm X was unveiled at his May 2024 induction into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. The art was designed by Lincoln, Nebraska, artist Nathan Murray, who is shown here with Malcolm X's daughter Ilyasah Shabazz (right of the bust) and JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike, executive director of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation. The bust's permanent spot is in a hallway of the State Capitol with other Hall of Fame busts. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) OMAHA — State Sen. Terrell McKinney recalls Nebraska's rockier relationship with Malcolm X, the rather rough road to getting the Omaha-born human rights leader into the state's Hall of Fame. John Ewing Jr., who last week became Omaha's first elected Black mayor, was a toddler when Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, and what sticks with him is how Nebraskans early on used him largely as a comparison point with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Standing out to JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike is the slow march toward gaining communitywide buy-in to build up the Malcolm X memorial birth site and nonprofit foundation she now heads. Burned into her mind is a moment 15 years ago when she thought: 'Where's the people? Where are the people who are going to move this thing forward?' But they and other fans said they've seen increased recognition and understanding in their state of what Malcolm X stood for. Buoyed by his rising national prominence, local voices have championed Malcolm X's journey as one of self-determination, personal reformation and quest to unify Black people — and have successfully advocated for ways to enshrine his name in the state where he was born. Efforts intensified as the 100th anniversary of Malcolm X's birthday approached — and is being observed Monday, May 19. 'There's a shift of the tide,' McKinney said, for the Black empowerment advocate he says is often misunderstood. 'People are actually honoring his legacy and respecting it. It's a show of understanding of who he was and what he means to North Omaha, the city, and the world.' Born Malcolm Little, his family left Omaha after suffering harassment from white supremacists, before Malcolm X was two years old. He evolved from a street hustler who, while in prison, became self-educated and converted to the Nation of Islam. He took the new surname 'X' to signify the unknown African surname of his ancestors. After completing a pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm X had a new outlook that abandoned concepts of racial antagonism. He changed his name again and denounced the Nation of Islam, which led to death threats. At 39 years old, as he was about to give a speech in New York City in 1965, the father of six daughters was shot multiple times at close range by three gunmen identified as members of the Nation of Islam. McKinney, a lawmaker who represents the North Omaha area where Malcolm X first lived, reflected on the Little family that he said was a target of racism. Malcolm's father, a minister, was active in the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which led to the family's being harassed. McKinney said the Littles would not have fathomed the recent turn of events in Nebraska. Consider these milestones: In May 2024, the state inducted Malcolm X as the 27th person and first African American into Nebraska's Hall of Fame. Some along the way thought he was too controversial for the hall the Legislature created in 1961 to recognize Nebraskans who have made significant contributions to the state and nation. Indeed, it took three different nominations over nearly two decades, in 2004, 2007, and 2022, before he was selected in 2022 by a governor-appointed commission that considered public testimony. The formal induction came two years later, with a bronze bust in Malcolm X's image installed in the State Capitol. Due to legislation passed in 1998, no more than one person can be added to the Hall of Fame every five years. At the induction, former State Sen. Ernie Chambers quipped about what he saw as a near impossibility: 'I never thought in my wildest dream that I would live long enough … to see a white conservative Republican governor in a white ultraconservative state like Nebraska participate in the induction of Malcolm X.' Also in 2024, the Nebraska Legislature passed a law establishing a 'recognition' of Malcolm X every year on his birthday. McKinney had pushed for a state holiday, but that measure stalled. He said financial barriers to designating a paid holiday prompted him to change direction. He called the alternative a 'good first step.' The legislation calls for each May 19, starting this year, to be 'set apart for holding suitable exercises in the schools of the state in recognition of the sacrifices of the late Nebraska Hall of Fame inductee El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, Malcolm X and his contributions to the betterment of society.' El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz is the name Malcolm adopted after completing the 'Hajj' pilgrimage to Mecca and converting to Sunni Islam. Also in 2024, the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation officially was awarded a $20 million grant from the state to create a museum devoted to its namesake near 35th and Evans Street, a site where Malcolm X first lived with his family. The funds followed through on legislation, approved the previous year, to build the cultural center supporters foresee as a tourist destination. Originally, the foundation had requested funding through a competitive process set up to dole out economic development grants to North and South Omaha from the state's federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The museum was not among recommendations by a consultant, however. Amended legislation led by State Sens. Justin Wayne and McKinney carved out funds for the project. As planned, the public dollars are set to build the museum, which is an anchor of a broader vision to transform the 17-acre campus that marks Malcolm X's early childhood home. Construction has yet to launch, but LeFlore-Ejike says planning is 'moving along' with a review ongoing of requests that have been submitted for the master site plan development. LeFlore-Ejike became executive director of the foundation in 2022, taking over work initiated in 1971 by Rowena Moore. She said efforts to transform the still largely undeveloped area, which has gardens and a visitors center, has had 'ebbs and flows.' LeFlore-Ejike recalled the moment in 2010. She was a volunteer still in school, and the foundation had a grant for 'visioning' work after having just purchased the existing visitor's center, which was the former home of a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation. She recalled disappointment in the lackluster support to continue building momentum. Now, she said, 'We're finally in a season of harvest.' Citing LeFlore-Ejike's work with the foundation, USA Today named her a nominee for its Women of the Year program in 2025. The selection recognizes 'heroines' across the country who break barriers, push for change and make communities better. LeFlore-Ejike hopes Malcolm X supporters are proud that decades of volunteer work 'has not been in vain.' Ewing commended the state for recognizing a significant Nebraska native 'very worthy' of hall of fame status. Malcolm X's 100th birthday observance comes as Ewing also celebrates a historical win in Nebraska's largest city. In last Tuesday's election, he soundly defeated three-term Mayor Jean Stothert. 'It all goes to show how far we've come as a community when it comes to being inclusive and accepting of leaders in our community,' he said. Ewing said leaders 'come in all shapes and sizes and backgrounds.' 'It's important they are accepted and know they belong here in Omaha and in Nebraska.' This story first appeared in the Nebraska Examiner, a member with the Phoenix in the nonprofit States Newsroom.
