Malcolm X Murder: RI Man’s Decades of Research Helped Lead to Exoneration of 2 Wrongfully Convicted
Thursday, November 18, 2021
On Wednesday, New York prosecutors announced that they were moving to exonerate two of the men found guilty of the assassination of Malcolm X.
Their convictions are expected to be thrown out on Thursday.
The man perhaps most responsible for righting the wrong is Providence native Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, who has spent decades uncovering the wrongful conviction and identifying the killers.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“One of the most important of these civilians was Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, who hosted a Netflix documentary series early last year, 'Who Killed Malcolm X?,' that again assembled the case for the two men’s innocence — and others’ guilt. Upon the release of the series, Mr. Vance announced that he would take up the case,” wrote the New York Times.
GoLocal LIVE did an extensive interview with Muhammad in April of 2020.
Abdur-Rahman Muhammad grew up in Fox Point, attended Hope High School and today, is the man behind the hit Netflix series “Who Killed Malcolm X?”
The journey from Providence to now being recognized as one of the top experts on Malcolm X and, specifically the killing of the Islamic leader and Black Nationalist, required an amazing journey and nearly 30 years of research.
Muhammad joined GoLocal LIVE and discussed his research, his fear of unveiling the killers and the impact of his work.
He discussed his research and the apprehension he had when he unveiled the true killers and his effort to exonerate innocent men.
“I really got worried so to speak around 2010 -- that was when I crossed the precipice. I published an article where I identify the man who pulled the shotgun -- it was the first time in history that the world had ever seen his face and I had to think long and hard about whether I wanted to do that because I knew at that point that I was crossing a line," he said.
"You know it involved my safety but also the safety of my family, and you know my mother and brothers and sisters [in] Providence. You know we're dealing with some very dangerous people here,” said Muhammad, an independent researcher and lecturer.
From Providence to Howard to Netflix
After attending Hope High School, Muhammad attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. and converted to Isalm. He says that conversion gave him insights and access to critical information that sparked his research and led him to the findings that the wrong men were convicted and the killers were still free.
In 2020, the 6-part Netflix series “Who Killed Malcolm X?” was released and launched Muhammad from academic researcher to global attention.
After the series was released, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. announced in February that his office was reviewing the conviction of two men in the murder of Malcolm X.
Muhammad said his Providence roots and his family have been a key to his drive and commitment. His brother is Keith Oliveira who heads the Executive Director at R.I. League of Charter Schools.
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