Fifty years after the assassination of civil rights icon Malcolm X, family members gathered to remember the leader, just steps from where he was gunned down in New York City in 1965.
Around 300 people listened to one of Malcolm X's six daughters, Ilyasah Shabazz, pay tribute to her father and his legacy at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. The building previously housed the Audubon Ballroom, where he was assassinated.
Malcolm X, whose full name was El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was killed in the ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965, as he prepared to speak to hundreds of his followers. He was 39. Murals depicting scenes from his life now cover its walls.
Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X speaking at our #saturdayactionrally this morning on the 50th anniversary of her father's assassination. #MalcolmX A video posted by NAN (@nationalactionnetwork) on Feb 21, 2015 at 7:51am PST
"He was just a young man who gave all that he possibly could," Shabazz said, after holding a moment of silence for her father at 3:10 p.m. ET, the time of Malcolm X's death. Many civil rights leaders and elected officials were in attendance, including Rev. Al Sharpton.
Malcolm X was a passionate advocate of black unity, self-respect and self-reliance up until his death. Although the early days of his activism were marked by militant actions, the Muslim minister had taken a more moderate approach to his goals of black empowerment by the time he died, and had left the militant Islamic sect, the Nation of Islam, which promoted a separate black nation within the United States. Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of murder in Malcom X's death.
Speaking during Saturday's ceremony, New York State Sen. James Sanders said the legacy of Malcolm X could be seen in the police killings of unarmed black men Michael Brown and Eric Garner, which sparked widespread protests and dialogue on racial inequality in the U.S. last year.
I saw him in Staten Island; I saw him in Ferguson. Anytime a young person does something to rebel, Malcolm is alive." - NYS Sen. Sanders— Kirsten West Savali (@KWestSavali) February 21, 2015
In an interview with The Associated Press on the eve of the anniversary observance, Shabazz said she was pleased that the site of her father's death is now a place for people to get a sense of empowerment.
"One of the great things about Malcolm is that he redefined the civil rights movement to include a human rights agenda," she said. "So while we are focusing on integrating schools, integrating housing and all these other things, Malcolm said that we demand our human rights 'by any means necessary.' And that means ... that we have to address these problems. That we have to identify them, and absolutely discuss them."
Saturday's ceremony also included a keynote address by social and political activist Ron Daniels, as well as a reading by actor Delroy Lindo of a eulogy for Malcolm X that was written by the late actor and activist Ossie Davis.
Some reflected on the legacy of Malcolm X by sharing his quotes via social media, using the hashtag #RememberingMalcolmX.
'I'm for TRUTH no matter who tells it.I'm for JUSTICE no matter who it's for or against' #RememberMalcolm #MalcolmX50 pic.twitter.com/h7acvNAdD5— Nazia Sattar (@NaziaSattar) February 21, 2015
Additional reporting by The Associated Press