William Strickland, a longtime civil rights activist, scholar and friend of Malcom X, has died

William Strickland, a longtime civil right activist who worked closely with Malcom X and Jesse Jackson, has died. He was 87. Along with his activism, Strickland was known for his scholarship. He spent 40 years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, teaching political science and serving as the director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Papers. Strickland first became active in civil rights as a high schooler and later would be inspired by the writings of Richard Wright and James Baldwin while an undergraduate at Harvard. He worked with Malcolm X on rent strikes and school boycotts and served as the New England coordinator for Jackson’s presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988.