Malcolm X museum to rise in North Omaha with boost from $20 million state grant

LINCOLN — A nearly 18-acre site in North Omaha — now mostly land, gardens and a small former church — is poised for a multimillion-dollar makeover featuring a museum honoring the legacy of Omaha-born Malcolm X.

A $20 million state grant was officially awarded this month to the managers of the property, the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, for the creation of a cultural education center and museum devoted to the slain human rights leader.

The funds follow through on legislation approved last year to build the tourism hub in honor of the first African American voted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is scheduled for May 22.

Originally, the foundation had requested funding through the competitive process set up to dole out economic development grants to North and South Omaha from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The Malcolm X museum was not among recommendations by the Olsson consultant, however. Community meetings were held; amended legislation led by Omaha Sens. Terrell McKinney and Justin Wayne carved out funds for the Malcolm X museum.

The public dollars will help activate key parts of a grand plan that’s been in draft form for more than a decade.

Indeed, a broader vision for the tract near 35th and Evans Streets — which centers on the place where Malcolm X first lived with his family — will take additional fundraising, said JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike, executive director of the foundation.

But the state dollars will bring to fruition a major building on the historic site that celebrates a man who sought a unified front among Black people, she said.

“This Hall of Fame induction and future development plans are an opportunity for people from all walks of life to learn and connect with Malcolm X,” LeFlore-Ejike said.

Amphitheater, community gardens

A detailed building plan is to come once a developer is selected and more site studies are completed. Beyond the new museum facility, LeFlore-Ejike said the funding will revamp the existing outdoor amphitheater and community gardens area that have been a gathering spot for big events such as Juneteenth festivities.

City of Omaha improvements to nearby Adams Park will contribute to a more walkable flow throughout the area and neighborhood, LeFlore-Ejike said.

The foundation hopes to gain community input on what to do with the former church building that fits about 200 and currently serves as the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation headquarters and program center.

Over time, LeFlore-Ejike said, her team hopes to establish a multi-building memorial campus, similar to one that honors the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta.

“We really want to be a destination,” she said. “Our hope is to position Omaha in a way where people are coming specifically to see this.”

The reputation of the Malcolm X birthsite has been growing over the past decade, she said, and has seen an influx of visitors from across the nation.

“Malcolm has inspired all walks of life throughout the globe,” said LeFlore-Ejike. “This is going to bring a lot of life to the Black experience, historically, in Omaha.”

Born Malcolm Little

Tourists also will be able to visit Lincoln to see specially commissioned artwork that pays tribute to Malcolm X.

Lincoln sculptor Nathan Murray was chosen to produce a memorial bust that in a few months will join those of 26 other members of the Nebraska Hall of Fame in the State Capitol.

Born in Omaha as Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, Malcolm’s family moved away from the state while he was a baby after suffering harassment and threats from white supremacists.

Supporters view his life story as an inspiration for reform and transformation. He evolved from a street hustler and, while in prison, became self-educated and converted to Islam. After his release, he took the name Malcolm X and became a leader in the civil rights movement, advocating for empowerment of Blacks, racial justice and international cooperation.

Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 after an appearance in New York City.

Lawmaker pursues Malcolm X Day

The vote to put him in Nebraska’s Hall of Fame prompted a story by the national Black Wall Street Times: “Before we knew him as Malcolm X, Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, Malik El Hajj El Shabazz or Omowali, and one of – if not the greatest orator, writer, and thinker of all time – he like all of us, came from somewhere. That somewhere was Omaha, Nebraska.”

Ongoing is a legislative effort led by McKinney to have Nebraska observe every May 19 as Malcolm X Day.

LeFlore-Ejike said it would be gratifying to see. 

Yet it took 20 years from when he was first considered in 2004 for Malcolm X to be inducted into the state Hall of Fame, according to History Nebraska records.

“I don’t know what to expect,” LeFlore-Ejike said of the effort to declare a Malcolm X state holiday. 

“Nebraska is not used to this much change, this fast.”