“You Had Better Make Some Noise”: Malcolm X at 100

One of Malcolm X’s most enduring legacies is his ability to make Black people feel good about themselves — as human beings — perhaps like no public figure before or since. Unlike many gifted leaders of Black uplift and civil rights movements, he was not born into what W. E. B. Du Bois termed the “Talented Tenth” elite, but rather, Malcolm X came from the working class, experienced foster care, and was formerly incarcerated before transforming his life through self-education and a conversion to Islam. He didn’t preach from an ideological pedestal; he spoke eye to eye with his audience, forging a connection that moved people of all races and religions.

This May 17, 2025, marks the centennial of the birth of Malcolm X. In the 60 years since his tragic assassination at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, he remains a complex historical figure — often misunderstood, misrepresented and reduced to caricature, much like his contemporary, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Yet history has repeatedly re-affirmed the prophetic relevance of Malcolm X — his critiques of systemic racism, economic inequality and media bias. In 2025, his calls for self-determination, global solidarity and community empowerment continue to make noise: inspiring activists, intellectuals and everyday people worldwide.This four-night series presents film and television works, both fiction and nonfiction, that explore the depth of Malcolm X’s legacy, inviting audiences to engage with his life, ideas and singular impact — not just as an icon, but as a human being who, in making others feel seen and heard, remains eternally impossible to ignore.

Programmed and notes written by Public Programmer Beandrea July and John H. Mitchell Television Curator Mark Quigley.