In celebration of Black History Month, the Philadelphia branch of Workers World Party held a Tribute to Malcolm X on Feb. 25 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his assassination. The forum, recognizing his legacy and relevance to the global struggle today, featured two members of WWP — Monica Moorehead from the New York branch and Susan Abulhawa from the Philadelphia branch — and was chaired by Betsey Piette, also with the Philadelphia branch. 

Susan Abulhawa is a Palestinian novelist, poet and essayist. The reach and breadth of her books have made her the most widely read Palestinian author of all time. She is the founder of Playgrounds for Palestine and executive director of the Palestine Writes Literature Festival. She is a sharp critic of Israel, Zionism, U.S. imperialism and corrupt Arab regimes and known for her activism for Palestinian liberation. She is vegan and an advocate for animal rights and ecological protection.

Monica Moorehead, pronouns she/her, is a Workers World newspaper managing editor and editor of the book “Marxism, Reparations and the Black Freedom Struggle.” She has been a member of WWP for 50 years and was the party’s presidential candidate in 1996, 2000 and 2016. Moorehead has represented the party on solidarity delegations to Iraq, Cuba, Nicaragua, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and South Africa. She has been a longtime advocate for the freedom of political prisoners and had the honor of interviewing Mumia Abu-Jamal and the late Dr. Mutulu Shakur.

A short video on Malcolm X’s life was aired at the start of the program.

The program format involved a conversation with the speakers who answered questions on the relevance of Malcolm X on the movements historically and the impact of his work on the global movements today against capitalism and imperialism. Both speakers discussed how they first learned about Malcolm X from his impact on the Black Liberation Movement in the U.S. and on the Palestinian resistance movements in West Asia.

Abulhawa spoke on the impact Malcolm X’s support for Palestine had on dominant narratives within the U.S. Black Liberation Movement, and Moorehead addressed how Malcolm X’s experiences abroad helped to evolve his understanding of the African American struggles in the U.S.

Both speakers addressed the inspiration modern-day movements like Black Lives Matter drew from Malcolm X’s internationalism and those in solidarity with Palestine. Moorehead presented a short slide show illustrating this point. 

A final question addressed by both speakers concerned Malcolm X’s famous quote, “You can’t separate peace from freedom, because no one can be at peace unless he has freedom.” They applied this sentiment to the ongoing struggles for justice in Palestine, other oppressed regions and inside the U.S. today.

For a recording of the program visit: tinyurl.com/254fvpmy. 

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