City to Commemorate Malcolm X’s Brief Boyhood Time in Milwaukee

Rich Rovito, Milwaukee Magazine

A historical marker is planned above I-43, where the Littles lived for two years before the home was razed for the freeway.

Did you know Civil Rights leader Malcolm X lived in Milwaukee as a young boy? The city would like you to.

Malcolm Little was born in Omaha in 1925, and his family relocated to Milwaukee from 1926 to 1928. Their Bronzeville home, at 1012 W. Galena St., was razed decades later for the construction of I-43. This March, the city’s Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved a plan to place a historic marker on the Walnut Street bridge over the freeway, not far from where a mural of escaped slave Joshua Glover is located.

“Marking where Malcolm X lived in Milwaukee isn’t just about honoring one person. It’s about making sure our city’s history isn’t forgotten,” says Ald. Lamont Westmoreland, who co-sponsored the resolution along with Ald. Russell Stamper. “Every story, every voice, every part of our past deserves to be remembered.” 

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which has sway over the bridge, has approved the location, and the Milwaukee Common Council must approve the funding for the project.

Keep reading.

Get a glimpse of Milwaukee’s Black history through images.

More stories like this.