Malcolm X | Unisex Organic Oversized T-shirt

Material: 100% organic combed ring-spun cotton

Fabric weight: 200 g/m²

Fit: loose, with dropped shoulders

Set-in sleeves

1 × 1 ribbed neckline

Self-fabric neck tape at the inside back

The fabric of this product is certified for its organic cotton content.

Laforcenée is her artist name. For United Souls, the connection between this name and Malcolm X’s determination felt entirely natural.

United Souls chooses to immortalise him in a composed, elegant and thoughtful pose, drawn by Camille Laforcenée. This artistic choice refuses to reduce Malcolm X to an image of violence that United Souls sees as perpetuated by imperialist narratives. His suit, his gaze and the hand held near his chin reveal a man of thought, conviction and dignity.

United Souls pairs this portrait with the words “Liberate our minds by any means necessary”: an invitation to think for ourselves, nurture our convictions and open up new paths. The emphasis is on the power of reflection and independence of mind.

RESPECT BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY
MALCOLM X (1925–1965) – UNITED STATES

Born in 1925, Malcolm X grew up in a family torn apart by racism: his father, a Garveyite activist, was murdered, while his mother was institutionalised. Placed in foster care and later imprisoned, he developed a broad knowledge through intensive reading. He then joined the Nation of Islam, becoming its leading spokesperson, and replaced his surname, inherited from slavery, with the letter X.

His speeches against white supremacy and integrationism resonated with Black youth and helped pave the way for Black Power. In 1960, he welcomed Fidel Castro and several anticolonial leaders to Harlem.

Expelled from the Nation of Islam, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, then travelled through Africa and the Middle East. Influenced by Pan-Africanism, he came to frame the African American struggle as part of the universal struggle for human rights. He founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity and sought to bring the cause before the United Nations before being assassinated on 21 February 1965 in Harlem.