The Malcolm X Library is located on Market Street in San Diego, CA, and it has been operating since 1996. It provides youth from ages 12 to 18 the chance to gain skills necessary for twenty-first century jobs. Black libraries that kept records of the popular culture of African Americans started to take place during the middle of the nineteenth century. Within these libraries, there is a major focus on whether a piece of material of African American history is considered valuable or not because many times their history was recorded with a racial bias by Americans. That is why it is important to look for African American history in Black libraries or research centers. Moreover, Black libraries are designed to preserve the culture of the African American race, and that is a major aspect of what the Malcolm X Library is about. This library benefits the future of African Americans in San Diego by exposing them to career possibilities and aspirations outside of sports and entertainment. That is possible through all of the assets that African American have at their disposal because of the library.

            Moving on, now we will dive into who Malcolm X was, and why this library would dedicate its name to somebody like Malcolm X. He was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcolm Little. Both of his parents were in the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which introduced Malcolm X to the Civil Rights scene at a young age. He struggled through his early life resulting from the murder of his father by members of the Ku Klux Klan. This made Malcolm jump around from foster home to foster home. Later in his life he was introduced to the Muslim faith by his brother Reginald. He then converted while being incarcerated. After being involved in the Nation of Islam temples for some time, Malcolm X eventually became the national representative for the Nation of Islam. Eventually he would become somebody that fought for and supported Black Nationalism, and he also wanted to change the effort for Black civil rights to human rights instead. This was his plan that he finally wanted to be carried out, but he was then targeted many times near the end of his life. At one instant, his family’s home was attacked with Molotov cocktails, and Malcolm X would eventually be assassinated on February 21, 1965. All of the impact he was having on society made him accumulate enemies which resulted in his assassination.

            The impact he had on the civil rights movement and on the history of African Americans made him the perfect candidate for this library to be named after. He will go down in history as one of the most influential African Americans of all time. Moreover, this library has made enough of an impact, that even the family of Malcolm X has taken notice. His daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, visited the library back in September of 2017. This was after the technological lab was built and she got to see the impact the library is making on African American youth. She even talked with a young boy who was sitting at one of the computers in the technological lab. The lab was created after remodeling was made in 2016 which brought new tools for African American teens to expand their technological skills. It is called the Legler Benbough Teen IDEA Lab. Her reaction to the library was, “It’s definitely heartwarming, it’s beautiful, it’s wonderful. I feel empowered” (Stewart 2017). It is great that she used the word empowered because that is how this library wants the youth to feel, empowered. That empowerment comes from all of the resources that African American youth in San Diego have at their disposal.

            The library director, Misty Jones stated, “this space is designed to provide every teen in this community with the opportunity to learn, experiment, create and collaborate with other teens” (Magee 2017). Also, the mayor of San Diego, Kevin Faulconer stated, “The IDEA Lab will give young men and women exposure to the skills they need to get good-paying jobs in our innovation economy” (Magee 2017). This lab will allow African American youth to increase their STEM skills, which is necessary in a world where the technological field is growing exponentially. The lab makes this possible because it is equipped with 3-D printers, a recording studio, and computers. All which can be utilized to further STEM learning. This, plus the opportunity for teens to collaborate with other teens just increasing the possibility of what the youth can do in the future. All in all, this lab just does wonders for the youth in the African American community of San Diego.

            In addition to the lab, the library also helps youth find a passion in their lives. For example, the Malcolm X Library holds Black Comix Day, which is aimed to promote and search for Black comic book creators. It also showcases new Black comic books and movies. For example, the one held last year was around the time the movie The Black Panther was released and there was a lot of hype around that, which drew in African American youth to this event. This event allows youth to realize that there are many things that one could aspire to be. The creator of Black Comix Day, Keithan Jones, stated that the event is, “a means of giving back to the community in terms of showing our youth, black youth, and minorities in general that there’s other things outside of the general scope of sports and entertainment for black kids to aspire to be.” This is yet another example, of how the library is trying to set a path for the future of young African Americans in San Diego.

            Concluding, this library has done much more than just preserve African American culture, but it has also affected its future as well. That is because of its impact on African American Youth in San Diego. The opportunities this library gives the youth truly allow them to strive for greatness and be ready for the future. The possibility of collaboration and creativity will definitely have a positive impact on the future of African American teens in San Diego which will lead to an even greater future for the African American culture. In conclusion, youth should continue to use this place as a resource to further their development in looking for a passion in life.

 Bibliography

Accomando, Beth. “Black Comix Day: Heroes Rise II.” kpbs, February 15, 2017.             https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/feb/13/black-comix-day-heroes-rise-ii/.

Magee, Maureen. “Malcolm X Library opens a teen tech lab.” The San Diego Union Tribune, January 30, 2017. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sd-me-education0201-               story.html.

Petin, Mika’il A. “Malcolm X.” In The American Mosaic: The African American Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2019. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://africanamerican2-abc-clio-com.sandiego.idm.oclc.org/Search/Display/1407107.

Smith, Jessie Carney. “African American Libraries and Research Centers.” In The American Mosaic: The African American Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2019. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://africanamerican2-abc-clio-com.sandiego.idm.oclc.org/Search/Display/1515398.

Stewart, Joshua. “Malcolm X’s daughter tours library dedicated to his legacy.” The San Diego Union Tribune, September 14, 2017.       https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/sd-me-malcolm-library-20170913-story.html.