Second Annual Malcolm X Read-a-thon Boston
Saturday, May 16, 2026, 12 PM – 8 PM
Sunday, May 17, 2026, 9 AM – 8 PM
Bruce Bolling Building, 2300 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA, 02119
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Honoring Malcolm X with a read-a-thon of his autobiography. We seek nearly 200 volunteers to read two pages each. That wide variety of readers will reflect the diversity of people inspired by Malcolm X’s powerful words.
Online Registration for this year’s Read-a-thon ended on Friday, May 15 at 12 Noon. Potential readers can still sign up for available slots during the Read-a-thon in person at the Bruce Bolling Building this weekend. Check in at the registration desk.
Slideshow of 2025 Readathon
The Requiem Project
The Requiem Project will be exhibited during our community reading this year. The Requiem Project is an art memorial by Rosalyn D. Elder for those African American youth whose lives have been violated by state-sanctioned racism. This installation serves as an acknowledgment of the sacrifices of these young people, as an effort to begin to understand the why of this violence and to begin a healing process within each of us.
This installation consists of six double-sided, mixed-media textiles. One side depicts the community, with portraits of the Birmingham Six embroidered as symbolic sentinels, standing guard over their communities, nurturing and protecting the children who surround them, and playing happily. The other side depicts the prison-industrial complex that consumes so many of our youth. Below that symbolic prison are words that have contributed to this state-sanctioned racism that destroys the potential of our youth.
Despite the trauma of their lives, we will always remember them by “saying/sewing” their names in defiance of that trauma. On panels that border the prison side, over 150 community members came together in various cities to research the history of nearly 300 youths before embroidering their names and their ages when their lives were violated.
Honoring Malcolm X
Malcolm X’s bravery in challenging complacency towards racial violence against African Americans, his intolerance for the status quo of economic inequities in American society, and his courage in speaking out for those not empowered to do so made him a hero to everyone interested in social justice and human rights. By reading this important narrative together, we seek to unite and channel our individual aspirations for a better future into a powerful collective voice for change.
About Us
The Malcolm X Read-a-thon Boston Committee comprises artists, writers, organizers, and entrepreneurs who want to keep Malcolm X’s legacy alive and thriving through a love of reading. The Committee is organized by architect and entrepreneur Rosalyn Elder (africanamericanheritagemassachusetts.com). The Committee includes Carolyn Ingles, Parmie Polk, Mark Schafer, and Talia Whyte. For more information, including media inquiries, contact us below.
WBCA host Haywood Fennell speaks to Rosalyn Elder about the life of Malcolm X and the upcoming Boston Community Read-a-thon of The Autobiography of Malcolm X to celebrate his 100th birthday.
Buy Books About Malcolm X Here
“I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
― Malcolm X
2nd Annual Malcolm X Read-a-thon Boston 