BALTIMORE — Fifty people gathered in McElderry Park Thursday to celebrate the birthday of Malcolm X, a polarizing civil rights movement leader.
“We’re showing Spike Lee’s Malcolm X,” said Elijah Miles, from Baltimore's Tendea Family. “We’re here to celebrate a Black leader and to be here for the community.”
From giveaways to groceries, the non-profit drummed up community support, asking their neighbors to be agents of change.
“Minister Malcolm X is one of our great leaders, our great heroes,” Miles said. “As we look at the issues that exist in Baltimore City right now and the issues in McElderey Park, with the recent violence and drugs and things that are going on, we could use a Malcolm X. We’re asking people to look inside themselves.”
Thursday’s event follows a recent shooting on North Rose Street that remains unsolved.
RELATED: One killed, three others injured after more than 60 shots fired in East Baltimore
As we’ve reported, an unknown suspect, armed with an assault rifle shot four people, including 25-year-old Chone Cummings. Cummings died from his injuries.
“We need people to come together,” Tasin Muhammad said. “Take responsibility for it. We’re in this community. We live and work here and everything that happens here, we’ve got to have hands on effort to fix the issues that we see.”
According to their website, the mission of Tendea Family is to "advance Baltimore’s Black Community by operating transformative programs focused on identity, self improvement, community service and development."
For more information on Tendea Family click here.
