2025 marks the centenary year of Malcolm X’s birth. For the occasion, Dr. Rose Brewer, Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan and additional planners have organized an event uplifting the politics and vision of Malcolm X. The event is on Saturday, May 17 at UROC at Plymouth and Oliver. The event is described in the promotional materials as gathering of “conscious minds that will include panel discussion, break out groups and vegan food!”
Dr. Rose Brewer is a Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor and Past Chair Person of the Department of African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She took the time to hop on a ZOOM with Sean McPherson from Jazz88 to talk about the event, provide some modern context for X’s impact and point listeners to some additional material if they want to learn more about Malcolm X.
This interview originally aired on The Afternoon Cruise on 05/12/25
READ THE COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
It’s the Afternoon Cruise, and I’m chatting with Dr Rose Brewer. She’s one of the organizers for an event this Saturday, May 17, which honors Malcolm X on what would be his 100th birthday. The event is from one to four at UROC at Plymouth and Oliver in North Minneapolis. Dr Rose Brewer is a Morse alumni, distinguished teaching professor and past chairperson of the Department of African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Dr Brewer, thank you for visiting with jazz 88 and thank you for your work organizing an event to celebrate Malcolm X
Dr. Rose Brewer
Well, thank you. It’s good to be on.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
as thinkers and leaders move further from the present tense. When they were with us on Earth, the way we understand them changes. And I was thinking to ask you, what are some important ways that you hope Malcolm X would be understood by a young person who was born in the year 2000 or something around there a 25 year old. What do you want them to understand about Malcolm X’s legacy?
Dr. Rose Brewer
Malcolm X has a incredible legacy, and I think so much of it has to do with the fact that as a human being, he was always open to transformation, especially self transformation, starting in one point in his life, to evolving into the kind of human being he merged as sadly just before his assassination, but this was over a period of years that Malcolm was becoming the kind of political presence that we all should recognize and acknowledge and learn a lot more about. So for a young person, it’s never finished. You know, it is an ongoing process, and one can start at one point in one’s life and become a very powerful and different individual. It’s all a matter of being open and committed. So he gives us that lesson, for those of us who’ve been around for a while, and for those young people who are just coming into their own.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
I’m chatting with Dr Rose Brewer, a Morse alumni, distinguished teaching professor and past chairperson of the Department of African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She’s also organizing a celebration of Malcolm X on what would be his 100th birthday on Saturday at UROC in North Minneapolis. Dr Brewer, I’m glad you brought up the autobiography of Malcolm. X, I loved reading that book, and I think it kind of hit me at the right age, probably 17, 18, was when I first read it. For folks who have read that book, but maybe not done another piece of writing, or, excuse me, piece of reading about Malcolm. X, what would you recommend to understand Malcolm X even more?
Dr. Rose Brewer
You know, we should have a whole autobiography on his speeches. These are things that sometimes were taken directly from his words. But there are a number of books and primary documents. But one that I would recommend that is quite comprehensive. It’s titled, “The Dead are Rising: The life of Malcolm X” and it was written by a long term acolyte follow of journalist of his life, Les Payne. Payne passed away before he finished the book, and his daughter stepped in and completed it, but all the notes, all of the interviews, all of the long term journey pain was a fellow traveler, somewhat younger than than Malcolm X, but definitely profoundly influenced. And it is a an award winning book, not too many years old. I believe it was initially published in 2022 so it’s a more recent, uh, recent explication with a richer analysis of the impact of his mother, which sometimes gets erased when we talk about his history. But in fact, she had a tremendous impact on his life, ultimately, so it’s “The Dead are Rising” by Les Payne.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Now, on this Saturday, on this event, what can attendees expect to experience like, what are you planning on having happening over at UROC on Saturday from one to four. Good question. We have several things. We’re going to open with some clips from speeches and videos. Many of those, I suspect people maybe maybe have seen or have heard, anchoring that with a panel, with a group of panelists who will speak to their knowledge and their assessment of his life, but also we really want to extend that to the question you started with, and that is, what are the lessons for today, as we grapple with so many challenges in the current moment? So we will have panelists responding to those, those sets of. Have issues with with their assessments, we also want people to get engaged, and so this means breaking down into a smaller breakout sessions with a series of questions that they will address around their life, perhaps the impact they’ve received from Malcolm X, but in some instances, there might not have been that connection, but collectively, talking to one another about what they’re experiencing, what they’ve heard from the earlier discussion, and where they would like to go with this Knowledge, we’ll also have some good vegan food by Ms. Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan , who’s known for her vegan her delicious vegan food. We’ll have some cultural presentation, and we hope to close out with perhaps some next steps so it’s not over.
Dr. Rose Brewer, we’re going to get to a music question, because, of course, we’re chatting here on jazz 88 but before that, I just want to tip my hat to you and your fellow organizers, because this is important work, and I imagine that it’s an uphill battle to get something together on a Saturday, to motivate folks to check this out, but to maintain the legacy and to advance the legacy of Dr Malcolm X is certainly very worthwhile work. I just gave that man a doctor, and I don’t know if he had one. Do you know?
Dr. Rose Brewer
Well, he should have one. You all know he certainly scuttle bug it with a lot of PhDs who couldn’t hold their own conversation with them.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Well, well, I’ll give him a jazz 88 honorary degree today, because I called him doctor. Dr Malcolm X so Dr Brewer, sincerely, thank you for the work you and your team are doing to advance this legacy.
Dr. Rose Brewer
Thank you. All right. We hope to see people there.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
I understand now, what tune Should we play on the way out, as we wish you good luck for the event on Saturday?
Dr. Rose Brewer
Well, in the spirit of Malcolm X certainly talking about a revolution. By Tracy Chapman.
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