20-05-2025
Debate honors Malcolm X's 100th birthday with Black empowerment talk
From L-R: D'Maiya Clark, Mamboge Njie, Laila Sanford-McKisic, and Kyla Canty, debaters in a program at Wayne State University honoring the 100th birthday of Malcolm X. May 19, 2025 | Photo by Jackson Coleman
Detroit — On Monday, Umoja Debate League hosted a debate featuring high school students at Wayne State University's M. Roy Wilson State Hall to commemorate what would have been Malcolm X's 100th birthday.
It was held in the Malcolm X Auditorium with around 75 people in attendance, the event based on the question: Should the Black community prioritize investing in local grassroots organizations over supporting Black political figures in office?
Umoja Debate League is a nonprofit organization 'that uses debate as our vehicle to teach Detroit youth ages 11-18 transferable life skills, such as critical thinking, confidence, conflict resolution, increased literacy, and self-expression,' according to its website.
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The event opened with remarks from Wayne State University professor Dr. Kefentse Chike, who talked about the historical importance of the room and Malcolm's evolution from Malcolm Little to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
'His life was short, but powerfully transformative,' he said, talking about Malcolm's lasting impact on movements from the Black Panther Party to Black Lives Matter.
Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. He spent his youth in Michigan, living in Lansing after his family moved there in the 1920s. He spoke at Wayne State University in 1963. Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, in New York City.
The debate reflected key themes of self-determination, accountability, and collective action—values that were the most important to Malcolm X's legacy.
Debaters Laila Sanford-McKisic and Kyla Canty of Renaissance High School argued in favor of grassroots investment, and Mamboge Njie of Renaissance High and D'Maiya Clark of Detroit School of Arts emphasized the importance of political power.
'I want to make it very clear that this is not an either-or conversation; this is about strategy, about timing, about balancing where the money goes,' Njie said. Canty responded that 'politicians will not save us,' emphasizing the strength of community-based work.
