State Senator James Sanders Jr. Calls for Re-Investigation of Malcolm X Assassination

As we commemorate the life of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, also known as Malcolm X, on Saturday, February 20, 2015, the 50th Anniversary of his assassination, State Senator James Sanders Jr.(D-Rochdale Village) is calling upon leaders of the city, state and federal government to re-examine the events surrounding the untimely death of the Muslim minister and human rights leader and to bring to justice all of the parties responsible for his murder.

Senator Sanders is also requesting the full and un-redacted documents of the case be published in order to provide the public with a full historical record of this crime and to convey a much needed message of government transparency. He has sent letters conveying this request to the Justice Department, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Attorney General Eric Holder, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and President Barack Obama.

“No matter how many decades have passed since the death of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, those responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Sanders said. “ Justice must be served.”

The Senator believes that a closer examination of the Malcolm X case could potentially reveal a wealth of undiscovered knowledge that could change the way the civil rights movement is viewed, and would set the record straight on how this brutal murder occurred. More importantly, it could reveal possible co-conspirators in this assassination.

The federal government has revisited files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and I believe the same should be done for Malcolm X. In addition, the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Act of 2007 calls for the prompt investigation of unresolved civil rights murders and provides extensive resources for such examinations.