No one whom I have ever met more clearly understood the realness of that observation than Brother Malcolm X, who himself once noted “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today….”

That’s why I believe that the best way to celebrate Brother Malcolm’s 95th birthday on May 19 is to honor his role as a superb deliverer of knowledge.

We of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) realize that the only time the Black man in this country is given any kind of recognition or even listened to is when America is afraid of outside pressure or when she’s afraid of her image abroad.”

“I point this out to you to let you know that when you are in Mississippi you are not alone…”

That was a caring, visionary, determined warrior and master teacher providing knowledge to those young Black people.

A. Peter Bailey’s latest book is “Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher.”