A century ago Malcolm X was born, essential in the defense of US civil rights.

Alondra Flores Soto

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 19, 2025, p. 4

Malcolm X, a pivotal figure in the American civil rights movement, has become as much an icon as Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, says journalist Mark Whitaker, author of a book being published to mark the centenary of the African-American activist's birth, which falls today.

Yet when he was assassinated in 1965, “he was still seen as a dangerous outsider . White people considered him alienating; most African Americans, divisive; even his admirers saw him as courageously radical,” according to The After Life of Malcolm X, an in-depth study of his influence and profound impact on culture, politics, and human rights since his assassination 60 years ago.

His influence flourished more in death than during his life, and he left a profound mark on the cultural landscape of the United States , he explained days before the book's release on May 13.

The centennial of the birth of the nationalist and revolutionary is a date that motivates activities focused on recognizing the legacy of an intellectual and freedom fighter. Among these events are institutions like the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, where a day of honoring this leader, one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, was held last Friday. Poetry, music, and debates were part of an afternoon of activities.

Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X and El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925. His parents were members of the Universal Negro Development Association, founded by Marcus Garvey.

▲ Writer Mark Whitaker has just published an in-depth study of Malcolm X's (pictured) role as an intellectual leader, even today. Photo by the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.

His father was murdered when Malcolm was still a child; a few years later, his mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. At a young age, he was sentenced to prison for armed robbery; there he became a member of the Nation of Islam, although he broke away from the movement years later. While in prison, he also began his activism in defense of an abused minority. After his release in 1952, he became a leading spokesman against racial segregation.

For example, one of his most famous phrases is: You cannot separate peace from freedom, because no one can be at peace unless they have freedom .

Monitored and threatened for his radical views, he was assassinated on February 21, 1965, while giving a speech in Harlem, New York; he was 39 years old.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has made four films available to visitors to learn more about the life and courageous and combative thinking of Malcolm X, whose charisma and ideas on human rights continue to inspire, for example, the Black Lives Matter movement 60 years after his death.

The institution explained: while Martin Luther King believed in racial integration and non-violence, Malcolm X defended the empowerment of blacks and fighting when necessary .

▲ The Arts Program activities, organized by Wante Films and supported by Indeporte, the National Film Library of the Arts, Channel 22, and Cenart, included the ¡Nenikíkamen! art festival. Photo by María Luisa Severiano

Reyes Martínez Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 19, 2025, p. 5

As a celebration of the extraordinary connection between artistic expression and sports, the second Arts Race was held yesterday, attracting 1,653 participants at the National Arts Center (Cenart).

The gathering also combined film, music, and painting, ending, once again, in the cultural center of Mexico (as described on several of its walls). The leaders showed off their physical prowess.

In the women's category, the best times were, in that order, Natalia Priego, Margarita Sebastián, and Elizabeth Aguilar. In the men's category, the fastest were Salvador Ruiz, Víctor Omar Martínez, and Juan Manuel Garcés.

A sea of ​​people, mostly dressed in red and black, marched around 6 kilometers of the Bicentennial Circuit, from the cultural center to Mexico-Coyoacán Avenue, where they turned to reach the finish line.

Dance exponents such as Angélica Estrella Reyes Briseño and Bruno Miranda, sculptor Perla Arroyo, filmmaker José Camacho, composer Nur Slim, and architect Guadalupe Peláez, as well as reporters from the cultural news outlet, attended.

José Camacho told La Jornada that sport is an inspiration and has helped him think more clearly. "For the way I work, making films, it clarifies my ideas or develops a cleaner, healthier way of thinking ."

He added that Andrea López, his wife and producer, has been involved in high-performance athletics since high school. "She has inspired and motivated me to bridge the gap between sports and our role in film ."

The couple will premiere the documentary "Las hijas del viento" (Daughters of the Wind) at the Guadalajara International Film Festival in June. The film stars three blind girls competing in the 1,500-meter dash: Daniela Velasco, from Mexico City; Mónica Rodríguez, from Ciudad Guzmán; and Adriana Carrillo, originally from Zapotitlán.

Camacho emphasized that they've closely linked sports to art, because to explain to these athletes how cinema works, we linked it to a race, from preparation to reaching the finish line. And we began to relate what we do to the sport itself, in this case, an Olympic cycle .

At the Carrera de las Artes, recognizable characters and creators were evoked in costumes. Alex DeLarge, the star of the iconic A Clockwork Orange, was seen running; Cantinflas ran every kilometer of the circuit, his gait full of misunderstandings, carrying a banner that read: "Run, dude ."

There were the masked Santo and Blue Demon, along with their antagonistic cohort of female vampires and mummies from Guanajuato; further afield, the sweaty cast of Alice in Wonderland and several Fridas Kahlos, some even with a brush and palette knife, as well as mimes running silently. Bringing up the rear was a snowy, winged goddess Nike.

The unusual flow of traffic on the hydraulic concrete of the Bicentennial Circuit produced a melody with the percussion of footsteps and the wind instrument in the breath of the runners. There was a clear architectural view of this important thoroughfare in the early morning, where the sun was at their backs for half the race, and then facing them toward the second half, when the finish line was near.

The Arts Program activities, organized by Wante Films with the support of Indeporte, the National Film Library of the Arts, Channel 22, and Cenart, included the art festival ¡Nenikíkamen! (an ancient Greek phrase meaning "we are victorious ," related to the historic Battle of Marathon), film, music, dance, and theater. The closing ceremony was led by musician and singer Héctor Hellion.

Javier Salinas Cesáreo

Correspondent

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, May 19, 2025, p. 5

Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico, Ten people were injured in the partial collapse of the Neza 2025 Book Fair tent last Saturday, seven of whom have already been discharged and three remain hospitalized, reported the mayor, Adolfo Cerqueda Rebollo.

The mayor and governor of the State of Mexico, Delfina Gómez Álvarez, toured the municipal esplanade yesterday to inspect the area where the accident occurred and visited the injured.

With no serious cases to report, only three people remain hospitalized so far; two will be discharged in the next few hours and one tomorrow , Cerqueda Rebollo said.

Neza's Unión de Fuerzas plaza remains cordoned off and access restricted.

Using high-tonnage cranes, workers from the company Macblu, responsible for the structure, and municipal civil protection and rescue personnel are dismantling the facility; it is expected to be completely removed tomorrow.

The mayor reported that due to the incident caused by wind gusts of more than 50 kilometers that occurred on Saturday, the book fair activities were permanently canceled and were scheduled to end yesterday.

For this tenth edition, the municipal government installed the structure, which covered almost the entire municipal esplanade. It had a reinforced roof, and each post was secured with water drums. However, the force of the wind still weakened the front of the tent.

Personnel from the State of Mexico Attorney General's Office conducted an expert report to determine the causes of the collapse and, if applicable, determine responsibility.