Professor continues to aid in the final renovation stages of Malcolm X’s Inkster home

October 29, 2024

The renovation of the Inkster home, once the residence of the iconic Malcolm X, is in its final stages. Upon completion, this historic house will be transformed into a museum dedicated to Malcolm X's life and the rich tapestry of African American history. The non-profit Project We Hope, Dream, and Believe, which owns the house, anticipates the museum's grand opening next spring, marking a significant milestone in preserving our shared heritage.

Dr. Tareq A. Ramadan, the project manager of Project We Hope, Dream, and Believe and Malcolm X, has deeply inspired an anthropology professor at WSU since childhood. His admiration for Malcolm X led him to contact Aaron Sims, the home's owner, in 2020 to offer assistance. He leveraged his connections with WSU and identified a grant through the State Historic Preservation Office for an African American Civil Rights Project. He drafted the grant in the fall of 2020, submitted it in Jan. 2021 and it was awarded in Jul. 2021.

This $380,850 grant kickstarted the first phase of renovations, primarily focusing on the exterior. In 2024, the interior received its makeover, including drywall, flooring and electricity. The goal is to complete the renovations by the end of the year and begin the final phase of the process, transforming the house into a museum.

The museum will cover Malcolm X's life as an activist and family life, as well as aspects of Inkster and African American history. It will also have the aesthetics of the 1950s, a period significant in Malcolm X's life, with furniture and kitchen appliances from the era laid out in the same manner as when Malcolm X occupied them.

After the museum's opening, plans call for constructing a vocational center on the adjacent property. "There's no longer a school district in Inkster," Ramadan said. Those working on the project We Hope, Dream, and Believe are collectively "working to create an institution there next to the home that can empower young people with vocational training." The hope is to have a library, educational sessions and specialists to teach "an array of different programs." After building the institution, the focus will shift to enhancing the street further and revitalizing the adjacent area. "This project has evolved into so many other projects.”

Timeline

2007–2019: Inkster residents Aaron Sims and Dawon Lynn began upkeep at the abandoned home at 4336 Williams, which they verified was the former residence of Malcolm X after reviewing his FBI file. Project We Hope, Dream, and Believe later acquired the home and maintained it while working to call local attention to the home and the need for its restoration.
Late 2020/early 2021: Dr. Tareq A. Ramadan, member of Project We Hope, Dream, and Believe (PWHDAB) and Wayne State University professor, wrote and applied for a National Park Service African American Civil Rights Grant seeking funds to restore the home.
July 2021: The non-profit was awarded the African American Civil Rights Grant for $380,850 through the Historic Preservation Fund to restore the home.
2021: PWHDAB awarded a $50,000 grant from the Ford Foundation.
Summer 2021: Repairs of the home's exterior begin, led by head contractor Arthur Edge.
September 2021: Dr. Ramadan presented a nomination to Michigan's State Historic Preservation Office, which recognized the home as a historical landmark.
November 2021: The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
July 2022: Archaeological excavations begin, headed by WSU's Anthropology department and led by Dr. Krysta Ryzewski.
Late 2022: Exterior renovations officially begin.
October 2023: The second season of archaeological excavations is launched.
Early 2024: Renovations of the interior begin.
May 2024: WSU Community Engagement Award presented to Dr. Tareq A. Ramadan and Dr. Krysta Ryzewski for their work at the Malcolm X House.
May 2024: PWHDAB and WSU's Anthropology Department receive the Michigan Governor's Award for Historic Preservation for their work at the Malcolm X House.
July 2024: PWHDAB awarded $80,000 from the State of Michigan, with the assistance of State Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-26th District, Inkster's district, to complete the home restoration.
May 2025: Renovations will conclude and coincide with Malcolm 100's birthday anniversary month.

The team members of Project We Hope, Dream, and Believe

Aaron Sims: Co-founder/executive director
Geonisha Washington: Co-founder/president
Dr. Tareq A. Ramadan: Project manager/board member
Dawon Lynn: Board member
Chaka Wilson: Web developer/board member
Arthur Edge: Construction manager

By Andy Jeffrey

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