My students were itching to volunteer for an organization that was specifically tailored to their own culture and experiences. After doing some research and networking we found out about Claim Malcolm X Day 2019. I was immediately excited for my students to help with the event because Malcolm X is one of my favorite historical figures His autobiography written by Alex Haley transformed my own life at a time where I felt lost. I teach about Malcolm X in my classroom yearly and his impact in Philadelphia. Malcolm X lived in Philadelphia for a couple years and was very active in the religious and political scene while living here.
This was our first opportunity to help plan and execute a community event. We teamed up with Chief Ron Green, CEO of Tribe World Wide Apparel Co and CMXD Philly board member to distribute flyers, clean up Malcolm X Park in West Philadelphia, and speak at the event. My students shared spoken word performances and inspired many with their words ! If you want to volunteer for CMXD Philly you can email them at cmxdphilly@gmail.com. Check out below for the volunteer video we made for CMXD Philly and our podcast interview with Chief Ron Green.