The former Michigan home of the late human rights activist Malcolm X, also known as El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
On Tuesday, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced that the home Malcolm X lived in with his family during the 1950s after he converted to Islam would receive the national honor, Detroit News
reports.“A key aspect of the National Register program is to document and honor places that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history,” Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Officer Mark A. Rodman said.
“People and places in Michigan played important roles in the Civil Rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. We are honored to join the city of Inkster in celebrating one of those roles with the listing of this home.”
Shabazz moved into the Inkster home in 1952 following his stint in prison on a burglary charge in Massachusetts. It was one of many homes the late civil rights icon lived in throughout his life.
The home holds significance to Shabazz after becoming the home he lived in when transitioning into the Nation of Islam. He was born Malcolm Little in Nebraska and lived in the Lansing area of Michigan during his childhood before getting caught up in a life of crime.
While in prison, X changed his life around and came out a new man on a mission. He only lived in the home from 1952 to 1953 with his brother Wilfred Little and his family.
The Michigan home’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places comes three weeks before the 57th anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination on Feb. 21, 1965, in New York City. Michigan Business reports that the home’s historic designation is the first step in rehabilitating the house for future use as an educational facility.