African American Newswire
For Immediate Release
Contact: Janine Fondon
Email: jfondon@unityfirst.com
Phone: (413) 734-6444
AFRICAN AEMRICAN NEWSWIRE/Boston – Rodnell P.Collins, the nephew of Malcolm X has officially launched The Malcolm X/Ella L. Little-Collins Family Foundation, to recognize Malcolm’s life and legacy. One of the Foundation’s objectives is to grant scholarships to individuals who wish to pursue careers in the fields of government, science, medicine, divinity, education, health and the trades, whether in colleges, universities, and/or vocational institutions. The recipients will be those people who have demonstrated their volunteerism in communities.
Rodnell Collins is the nephew of Malcolm X and son of Ella Little Collins, Malcolm’s sister. Ella Collins knew Malcolm X perhaps better than anyone else. Ella took Malcolm into her Boston (Roxbury, Massachusetts) home after his father was lynched and his mother was institutionalized following a nervous breakdown. Also, Ella was the one who went looking for Malcolm in the streets of Boston when he was a rebellious teenager and monitored his development in prison. In addition, Ella later paid for Malcolm’s trip to the holy city of Mecca.
“Malcolm’s life was cut short, but there were important things around his life not included in his autobiography, and we hope to share this information,” said Rodnell Collins who spent much time with Malcolm, and at times, was even his driver and confidant. Collins, author of “Seventh Child: A Family Memoir of Malcolm X,” is the curator of the Malcolm X/Ella Little Collins house in Boston, MA and the Founder/ President of the Malcolm X/Ella L. Little-Collins Foundation Inc. In addition, he is the President of the Organization of Afro American Unity Inc., founded by Malcolm X.
The Foundation namesake was formed in honor and recognition of over 175 years of the Little and Collins families’ struggle for freedom/empowerment and human rights in community, religion, and government (national/international). The Foundation will seek to collect materials to archive for scholarly research and preservation of Malcolm and his family legacy. It will also manage the Malcolm X /Ella Little Collins house, a historical landmark designated by the City of Boston and state of Massachusetts. Institutions or individuals who seek to preserve the legacy of Malcolm X may work collectively with the Foundation, a 501(c)3 state /federal non- profit tax exempt organization.
“We will also work with those individuals and all institutions of higher learning for program development on the pedagogy and myth of Malcolm X,” said Rodnell Collins. “He has been called an American icon, a demagogue, portrayed too often as a symbol without substance. The Foundation will provide the programs and materials to chronicle the life and legacy of Malcolm, not to interpret.”
For more information on the Foundation or Rodnell Collins, send an email to jfondon@unityfirst.com.
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