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New Malcolm X marker tells deeper story of his family life in Lansing

Marion S. Trikosko, March 26, 1964

Tomorrow, civic leaders in Lansing are dedicating a new state historical marker honoring civil rights legend Malcolm X.

Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965.  Today would have been his 97th birthday.

State Representative Sarah Anthony has led the effort to build a new marker near the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Vincent Court since the original was damaged early last year. She says this memorial will tell a deeper story of Malcolm X’s traumatic childhood in Lansing — a time which included the murder of his activist father, his separation from his family, and his mother’s institutionalization. “The fact that they suffered at the hands of white supremacy and terrorism in Lansing ultimately shaped Malcolm X’s worldview,” she says.

Anthony grew up in the same neighborhood where the marker is located.

In 2018, she was elected as the first female African American state representative in Lansing’s history.

Kevin Lavery has been news director at WKAR since September 2006.