Moroccan political scientist Hisham Aidi was recently awarded the Vanguard Award in the United States, in recognition of his work on the legacy of Malcolm X, the iconic American civil rights leader. The distinction was presented to him by Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of the late activist, and the city of New York. An academic advisor at the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial & Educational Center, Aidi was honored for his contributions to preserving and amplifying Malcolm X's global legacy. He notably helped design a new exhibition that retraces the activist's political journey and explores the worldwide impact of his ideas and commitment. Aidi is also the author of the documentary Malcolm X and the Sudanese, which examines the influence of Sudan and its people on Malcolm X's thinking. As the lead researcher of the Columbia Malcolm X Project, he has traveled extensively to meet witnesses and deepen the global understanding of the activist's legacy. Born in 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X—also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz—was assassinated on February 21, 1965, in Harlem, at a venue that has since been transformed by his family into a cultural center. Decades later, he remains one of the most prominent African-American figures in the fight against racial injustice, alongside Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Muhammad Ali.
