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by Sienna Dalton
Lowell High School, San Francisco
"Stop attacking the Jews!"
"Keep the mural up!"
Those were the cries that were heard from the crowd during the week of protest before the Malcolm X mural was to removed from the side of SF State's student union building.
Since then a new mural of Malcolm X was unveiled on
May 16, concluding a week-long celebration of Malcolm
X that included poetry, plays, films and speakers.
Dr. Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's widow, was one of the
many speakers who participated in the event.
Aimee Barnes, head of the master plan committee for the Cesar Chavez Student Center, and the Black Student Union along with other campus organizations spearheaded the effort to replace the mural.
Robert Corrigan, SF State president, who approved the removal of the first Malcolm X mural, now believes that this mural is a better representation of who the late black activist was.
"I think the artist did a very good job on the portrait. I like the different images of Malcolm X," said Corrigan, who also says that for the most part the student body is pleased with the mural.
But Calyn Kelly, an SF State junior, disagrees with Corrigan.
"I think that the old mural was a better representation of who Malcolm X was," Kelly said. "I think the new mural is a watered down version of who Malcolm X was."
Bernard Cherin, a participant in the 60-plus program at SF State, is not satisfied with its inclusiveness.
"I think Malcolm X really meant integration more than he meant separation of the races. I think it picks up on the separation more than it does on the integration. I think that it (the mural) should have more white, yellow and brown people in it," said Cherin.
Derik Jackson, a student center employee, likes the new mural, but he too would have added something to it.
"I would have added more writing, maybe a poem to reflect not just his image but his literature," Jackson said. "Maybe if it was bigger too."
The new mural is now above it's original 10-foot space alongside the Cesar Chavez mural. According to Corrigan there are a number of reasons why the mural was moved.
"At the time they were reconsidering putting up the mural, the bookstore was talking about putting up a door in there," Corrigan said. "But I think that while that was going on people looking at the (Cesar Chavez) mural said, 'Well hey, the best place is really to put it alongside Cesar Chavez.'
"The Cesar Chavez student center was also unofficially called the Malcolm X plaza, so this made it a little more official."
Unlike the original mural unveiled two years ago, the picture lacks what critics called anti-Semitic symbols.
The new mural has an image of Malcolm X in the far right corner, his hand against his head as if he is thinking. Below another image of Malcolm X in black and white are the words, "Our objective is complete freedom, justice and equality," and, "By any means possible."
The first mural, painted by artist Senay Dennis, was intended to honor Malcolm X on his birthday but became the most controversial piece of art on campus, because of the six-sided stars along the border of the painting.
The stars were accompanied by dollar signs, skulls, crossbones, pentagrams, the U.S. flag and the words "African blood" in dripping red paint.
The painting sparked reactions from all groups. The
Hillel House, along with other Jewish students, was
outraged. As signs that read "Keep the mural,
remove the stars!" and "Jewish pride,"
bounced around in the angry crowd of protesters, a
human chain of students surrounded the mural protecting
it from the protesters.
On the following Thursday night or early Friday morning, Malcolm's face was splattered with red paint by an unidentified group or person.